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.
‘He’s wearing his work clothes, just like daddy!’ My daughter exclaims each time her little brother wears a button-up shirt.’
“She follows up by saying, ‘But you don’t wear work clothes, because you don’t go to work, mommy.’ I cringed.”
‘Please come pick up your son. He isn’t a good fit.’ He was there 3 hours before we got the call.’
“A good fit. I’ve rolled the words over and over again in my mind. In a matter of one conversation over lunchtime, they determined him ‘unfit’ and ‘too much’ for their school.”
‘I was belittled and embarrassed. There were 2 men who thought it was acceptable to be rude to me because they had previously ‘Spoken to my husband.’
“Today, I had to take my car to the local dealership for a service issue. Having dealt with one of these ‘old school’ thinking men at that location before, I hoped I would have the good fortune of not having to see him today. I was wrong.”
‘Your technician Robert came to our home. He walked into a mess. My son was born with two rare brain defects and is blind. Today has been rough for him.’: Mom thanks stranger for his compassion towards son with special needs
“When Robert walked in, Sailor ran to him and reached up. Robert didn’t seem bothered at all and, instead, held my son for the whole 45 minutes he was in our home. He could have walked in, rushed, and left, but instead he saw a need greater than internet and met it.”
‘Started class with this chart today and I’m so glad I did. It’s easy to misinterpret behavior and its cause.’: Teacher takes time for daily check-in with students
“Students wrote their name on the back of a sticky note and then placed it in the row that most accurately aligns with how they’re feeling right now.”
‘We hugged her. Then, we received a text. When we pushed the door open, all I heard was, ‘We have a situation.’ My heart sank. I knew what those words meant.’
“We secretly prepared for the baby. We received the call we had been waiting for. Baby was born. It was time to head to the hospital. If I’m being honest, I was sick to stomach thinking about what the next few hours might look like.”
‘I noticed Ellie had a cough. Then everything got scary really fast. All the blood in my head rushed to my feet. I caused my child’s illness.’: Daughter fights for her life after RSV diagnosis causes seizure
“I knew it was serious, so I finally broke down and called my mom. I told her I was in the ambulance and I didn’t think Ellie would make it. She told me she woke up around 3:00 a.m. and started praying because she felt something was wrong.”
‘Lots of women don’t know where they stand in their relationship. They don’t feel sexy anymore. They feel like the spark is gone. They’re not sure if they’re wanted.’
“They feel like their children, home and family are the only reason their partner hasn’t randomly come home one day, asking to call it quits.”
‘She was at a dead stop in traffic. She looked in her rear-view mirror and saw a car coming full speed behind her. She braced herself.’: Mom warns about the dangers of texting and driving
“When he finally looked up from his phone, it was too late. I’m sure the message is clear here.”
‘My husband’s heart may have stopped beating, but after he flat-lined, he was revived. ‘How do I cope?,’ I get asked a lot. It really stumped me.’
“My husband has an infamous (and rather annoying) saying he likes to toss around, ‘It could always be worse.’ This is usually met with an exaggerated eyeroll from me, because my realist personality believes the opposite. ‘It could always be better.'”