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.
‘It’s not my job to make you happy. Sorry, buckaroo. You’re going to have to figure that one out on your own. I’ll make sure I am happy.’
“’You’ve screwed up again.’ You’ll be out of this house. And when that happens, there won’t be much we can do to make you happy anymore.”
‘Mom received a phone call, we must come to the hospital quickly. We were meant to be picking out baby clothes! Our world came crashing down. Life would never be the same again.’
“My Auntie came out of the ward, face pale and sick. I started saying ‘no no no no’. She told me I needed to sit down, and I collapsed to the floor. We were ushered into a small, hot side room.”
‘There was a young family at the airport. Only one set of luggage though. He was freshly shaven, 3 large bags. They called for boarding, he picked his daughter up and kissed her goodbye. She didn’t want to let him go.’
“We got to our seats on the flight and he pulled out his phone. He was doing what we all do. He wanted to take photos for his wife and his daughter to keep them, but he was too embarrassed because of all the fancy businessmen who might see it and judge him.”
‘I picked him up from daycare. His little legs had bruises all over them. He was only 4 months old, so he wasn’t crawling yet. There was no obvious explanation.’: Son diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia after mysterious bruising
“My husband inquired about the bruising. He was told that, ‘babies just bruise easily,’ and the bump was just a birthmark. Our minds were filled with fear and uncertainty and our stomachs were in knots. Feelings of anger crept up inside of me.”
‘She asked if I was doing okay, and if my marriage was okay. I was taken aback and said, ‘Of course.’: Friend shares wise advice that has kept them happily married for 33 years
“She said, ‘When your husband comes home from work, and you’ve been running around with the kids all day, you expect him to come home and help you, and when he doesn’t, you’re angry. I rolled my eyes and thought… ‘Yeah, I know.’ She smacked me.”
‘You have the perfect family.’ That’s what they saw. No one could have known what was going on behind our picket fence.’: Mom shares life with 2 special needs children, husband’s failing heart
“I smiled on cue. I showed up to play dates. I dressed my kids well. But I kept all the other stuff hidden. I opened a private Instagram account and used it as a journal, as a means to post the not-so-pretty. I felt so icky about my half-truth life. I was shaking as I hit the button to make it public.”
‘I noticed she was losing color. ‘Something’s happening’, I screamed! ‘She’s going blue. I don’t think she’s breathing!’ My heart was racing. ‘Is she choking? Flip her around. Do something!’
“I watched her face in absolute horror. SHE WAS NOT BREATHING. ‘No, no, no, no! Amelia, breathe!’ She wasn’t just blue, she was lifeless. ‘Start CPR, I’m calling 911,’ I told my husband as I ran to get to my phone.”
‘My mother said, ‘Doesn’t it bother you that she won’t keep a cleaner house?’ It was a Saturday. I was working on the dishes. I didn’t know how to respond.’: Man urges ‘our marriage is a partnership’
“I remember my father giving me this advice about picking a wife: ‘Stop by her house unexpected. See how it looks in there. You can tell a lot about a woman by how she keeps her house.’”
‘I was home alone, in a complete panic. So, I flushed. And hoped my toilet wouldn’t clog. I hated myself. I mean, I FLUSHED my baby! And then it happened again.’: Woman goes through multiple miscarriages before having her rainbow babies
“Two days before my boyfriend’s birthday, something told me to check. I had not one single symptom. I got excited! This felt different. I made him sit down and open all of his presents early. He stared at it. Stared at me. And smiled. He was scared, I could see it.”
Behind Every Successful Woman Is A Tribe Of Women Who Could Choose To Compete, But Take The Higher Road Of Collaboration Instead
“A tribe of other women who refuse to get jealous. Who refuse to compare. Who refuse to belittle, or go low. Who refuse to gossip, or leave out, or hurt just to watch her crumble under the pressure.”