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.
‘A few police officers were canvassing the street with flashlights. Everyone was shaken. ‘Wait. What if we had been home?’: Family shocked by damage to home after vacation, ‘The sun will shine again’
“All eight days were calling for rain. We woke up to sunny skies. The abundant sunshine became a symbol to us. We arrived home at about midnight. Our oldest daughter said, ‘Hey, what’s that on the ceiling?’ I looked up. ‘Hurry, go tell the cops.’”
‘I can spend Friday night at a bar with my friends. I can go to mommy and me group. That is what moms do. We do it all.’: Woman reminds other mothers to ‘get to know YOU better’
“Pre-baby, I knew who I was. I had an idea of where I was heading. Imagine the shock I endured when I found out we had a tiny human en route. I was about to meet a completely new version of myself. My name was Mom, not Jess. I ate, slept, and breathed motherhood. I started to become more and more aware of my loss of identity.”
‘Please, tell me where you are.’ I’m adamant. ‘I don’t want help.’ I hang up the phone. Tears were streaming down my face. It was time.’: Woman’s suicide attempt ends in miracle survival, ‘You can choose to live’
“My girlfriend of 3 years finally left me. After all the hurt and pain I’d caused, she finally walked out the door. I jumped in my car and sped down to Walmart. I needed a gun. My brain went back to panic mode. I got in my car and just started driving. My ex had called the cops.”
‘Do I send my child to their brick and mortar campus and worry about their physical health EVERY SINGLE DAY?’: Mom shares frustrations for fall school re-openings
“Most of us are going out of our minds trying to decide what to do in the fall, if we have a choice, which it sounds like we will. Damned if we do, damned if we don’t. That’s how I feel.”
‘Call your work, Dan’s work, Dan’s best friend, and then give me your phone.’ I felt guilty for falling asleep, for not being strong enough to give him CPR.’: Widow credits ‘tribe’ for healing through grief
“Living in the thick of the fire, my tribe was there to hold my hand as I walked through. I found myself sitting on a doctor’s couch the following Tuesday, sobbing tears of grief and agony. They helped me make sense of the madness and encouraged me to feel again.”
‘There were 10 two-year-olds in my living room, awkwardly avoiding eye contact. ‘Why are you kids acting weird? TELL ME THE TRUTH.’: Mom discovers why ‘kids are strange social beings’
“I was trying to act normal with Amelie’s mom, knowing full well it was her daughter who bit my daughter the week before. One says hello. My kids, their kids, they all act like a bunch of strangers. My son was the first one to fess up.”
‘Friends on white sandy beaches, enjoying a vacation you can’t go on for at least 5 years… I find myself thinking, ‘Why did I have kids?’: Mom shares her ‘WHY’ and says ‘it’s usually right in front of you’
“Those same friends are showing off their bikini bodies that haven’t changed since high school, while I chase after kids to separate, divert, and redirect. I grab plates of food from the table so they aren’t thrown next, and throw whatever bits of leftover nuggets or pizza on them into my mouth, as I hear my stomach growl from forgetting to make my own lunch.”
‘The devil was out to get me. I remember grabbing my kids and begging God to save us all. Then, I suddenly passed out.’: Mom shares postpartum psychosis journey to let others know they’re not alone
“It was the Friday before Memorial Day when things really began to fall apart. I remember being at church during a prayer meeting and saying aloud, ‘This is a dark place.’ I started quoting scripture he never realized I had memorized. No one seemed too concerned.”
‘Is it illegal for me to go in and order my own dinner?’ I almost held my breath the entire time. ‘Stay six feet apart.’: Mom shares Subway worker’s act of kindness toward 11-year-old son
“I heard him mumble to himself on the way home, ‘God, I love this feeling.’ His father and I appreciate you so much more than you knew when you handed him his change and he ran out the door. He will never forget this, I promise.”
‘You did drive-by parades and Zoom calls. You dropped off beloved stuffed animals. You are the only reason I can breathe.’: Mom thanks teachers for unyielding support
“This year, I want to return the favor.”