LJ Herman is a former editor at Love What Matters and lives in Colorado. LJ is a concert, ticket and technology enthusiast. He has seen the Dave Mathews Band over one hundred times and counting.
I’m A Mediocre Wife, Mother, And Friend, And I’m Okay With That
“When I was younger, I wanted to be everything. Smartest, prettiest, funniest…I desired to be the total package. I yearned to be the best possible version of myself. Quite frankly, it was exhausting.”
‘Take your kids, get out of there! Leave him now!’ There was a knock on our door. The cops. They’d seen the video.’: Woman narrowly escapes abusive man, flees home to family who cried when she was ‘finally free’
“My heart was pounding as I stood in the middle of the airport. My two boys aged 3 and 4, gazed up at me with sleepy eyes. It was 6:00 a.m. We were flying home to the USA. I was trying to act calm. The woman at check-in gave me a bewildered look when I told her we had no luggage to check. I was terrified I was going to be asked if I had their father’s permission to take them out the country. I didn’t.”
‘I’m driving home, my son and his broken bone. I prayed. Please don’t need surgery. I cried. And it hit me.’: Mom learns to count her blessings rather than letting anxiety spiral out of control
“As I was driving home from the ER this week for the 50th time (I’m a boy mom – don’t judge) looking at my youngest in the back seat, my mind was racing. Here’s another broken bone, that means another doctor visit, another possible surgery, another doctor bill. My mind was going everywhere. I only need to take 4 hours off work. If they do surgery, I’ll need the full day off. I’m an awful mom. And then it hit me. Get your big girl panties on. It’s nothing terminal. I silently cried the whole way home.”
‘My heart was pounding. My husband had been gone for 3 years. I’d completely written off ever finding his phone.’: Widow’s discovery on late husband’s phone solidifies she’s ‘marrying the right guy’
“As I scrolled through his pictures, what I saw stopped me in my tracks. A few weeks before his death, Chase had gone to a basketball game. There was only one member of the team showing in both pictures. It was Nick, my fiance and now husband. I’d always had the feeling Chase approved of Nick, but this seemed like a message from Heaven that I was on the right path. I was marrying the right guy.”
‘When I send my daughter to school, it hurts. My heart skip beats. My cheeks are hot, tingly.’: Mom is ‘worried sick’ about daughter with disabilities being accepted at school
“I feel sick with worry because I am here, and she is there. Every single moment of every single day I see the potential behind my daughter’s beautiful brown eyes. My biggest fear is that others will not see the same things in her.”
‘I feel like I’m crumbling. Then I stopped for coffee and got this reminder from the barista.’: Stranger’s act of kindness for overwhelmed mom reminds her there are helping hands ‘when we need it the most’
“Yesterday, I failed as a mom. I was late picking the kids up from school, causing my child to cry. Instead of comforting her, I scolded her. I ended the evening making my oldest burst into tears at dinner. I then picked a fight with my husband. This morning, I stopped for coffee before taking my minivan to get fixed, and got this reminder from the barista.”
‘I found a welt on my son’s forehead, bruising. Throughout the attack, this little boy laughed, smiled.’: Mom ‘enraged’ after her son attacked in locker room at school
“My son was attacked. In a violent, malicious manner. As one student repeatedly hit him over and over again, others not only held my son down so the student could hit him, but encouraged the attack. Not one school administrator contacted me on the way to the school.”
‘I can’t see him like this, Mom. Take me home.’ I laid my head on his chest, sobbing. ‘Chase, I love you so much.’: Wife’s ‘life altering’ journey since husband suddenly died in his sleep
“I remember walking in the house at 4:15 a.m. with the most empty feeling I had ever felt. I knew our son would be waking in a few short hours and I wasn’t ready to face reality so soon. I went to our bathroom, filled up the tub, and sat in a hot bath as I cried the little tears I had left. Then I went to Chase’s closet, pulled out his favorite sweats and a big oversized sweater and crawled into bed with his pillow. The sheets and everything smelled like him, and right then and there, I didn’t want to wake up.”
‘Man. I’m so glad I didn’t miss this.’ I was scared. I didn’t want this life. I didn’t want to be ‘chosen’ for this.’: Mom embraces son’s Down syndrome after admitting fear made her consider abortion
“I’ll never forget the way my heart dropped when someone said, ‘I’m not pro-termination. But in complex situations like these, sometimes it is appropriate.’ With heartbreaking honesty that rips my insides apart now, I’ll tell you – I went home and googled abortion procedures. A Christian woman who loves Him with all of her heart — I googled it.”
‘5 kids? You know how this happens, don’t you? Did you have all 5 on purpose?’: Mother of 5 children says despite the struggles, ‘these kids still run to hug me when I get home’
“Having many kids makes parenting into a super long marathon. And that is no joke when you may no longer be in your 30’s. But the blessings? They are no joke either.”