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.
‘When is dad coming home?’ I was 15 weeks pregnant. He hugged my daughter as if he knew he wasn’t coming back.’: Single mom left while pregnant with second child, ‘This pain has purpose’
“I hid her from it for as long as I could. I was 15 weeks pregnant when he abandoned us. He’d see her Friday. I couldn’t lie anymore. My heart shattered, and I had to force myself to hold back the tears.”
‘She’s carrying a real baby in there? And she can’t see?!’ I’m a woman with a guide dog and a chunky baby strapped to me.’: Blind mother urges ‘be kind with your words’
“I’ve been out today once and heard it all in the space of twenty minutes. Masks don’t muffle your voice as much as you think.”
‘I’m here for all your seasons—ALL OF THEM. Whether you’re crying, whining, laughing, I’m here.’: Woman pens touching note to friends
“Not just the ones where we find regular time for each other. Not just the ones when you’re riding the highs. Not just the ones that result in fun as h*ll girls’ nights. Not just the ones that align with mine.”
‘It would’ve been our 16th anniversary. ‘I miss the mess,’ is something you and I both never thought I’d say.’: Widow grieves loss of husband as anniversary approaches
“I couldn’t ever imagine a life without you, but here I am doing it. Living in spite of my dreams dying. And I miss it all.”
‘I submitted a refund request for the trip we planned for a year. My son said, ‘Well, I guess I’ll never get a prom.’: Mom reminds us kids are affected by the pandemic too
“’I just really wanted to go to Europe, I’ve wanted to go my whole life.’ This is what I said to my husband. He was laid off from his job and then didn’t work all summer. ‘Mom, I am so mad.’”
‘He hates his teacher threatening him to send the principal’s office. It doesn’t work because I’m too soft and tired.’: Mom learns important lesson from son, ‘their innocence is worth keeping a little bit longer’
“He said to it, ‘It’s okay little guy, you’ll be safe here.’ He scooped it up and brought it to me. I realized even though we weren’t ‘schooling’ together, we were both learning.”
‘My mom was unable to come to my house to get my kids ready for school. I am so thankful.’: Single mom says ‘I never really sit down’
“I’m used to juggling my schedule to take care of ‘kid stuff.’ Today, though, things were different. I had my shower, makeup, and hair done before I even had to wake my oldest two boys up for school. So, I sat down.”
‘I knew about birth control. I told myself, ‘It won’t happen again.’ I was 17 years old and pregnant.’: Woman shares teen pregnancy journey with high school sweetheart
“I was skipping class to go to a free clinic to take a pregnancy test. I was 17 years old and pregnant. I easily could have applied for state aid. We knew we were going to prove them wrong.”
‘Your voice kept getting louder, your face angry. ‘Why do mornings always go like this?’ I was ready to get in the car…almost.’: Mother writes touching note from daughter’s perspective
“I heard you say my whole name and snap at me. You said you were sorry. ‘Can we EVER get out of this house on time?’ I wasn’t trying to make us late.”
‘They could hear the screams as they celebrated their mass together. ‘What did you do?’ this Christian was asked.’: Woman doesn’t want to be ‘the Christian who sings’
“They just tried to drown out what was happening with their singing. They sat in a church and all they did was sing louder. This story runs through my head on repeat. I don’t want to be the Christian who sings.”