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 safe to say I lived. But I never lived the way he did. How could I hate him for flying without me?’: Woman says lost love ‘made me stronger despite the hurt’
“The moment I met him, I felt like I was living my life too. Truly living. Maybe he did what he had to do. I had no control. I had no hand to play. Sometimes you lose, like I did when he ended the game.”
‘I was starting to struggle. I was afraid to drive, fighting to stay awake at the wheel. Something had to give.’: Sleep-deprived mom switches to night weans, ‘I was happy to breastfeed again’
“My whole family was paying the price. I began to struggle more with anger, anxiety, and depression. I had to get more sleep. I was happy to breastfeed again.”
‘He is dead.’ There was blood on the rug and table. This was the place he died, where he took his last breath. It was unreal.’: Woman mourns death of brother, ‘My life will never be the same’
“‘I sat in my room, talking to him and waiting for my husband, a start of what was sure to be another boring day of quarantine thanks to COVID-19. ‘I saw something on the news about a shooting.’ He was certain it was my brother. I picked up my phone to discover a 3-minute voicemail from my dad of nothing but screaming and chaos.”
‘He told me, ‘It’s all in your head.’ I hoped something bad would happen to me so I’d be taken seriously.’: High schooler diagnosed with Pulmonary Hypertension undergoes open heart surgery, ‘I’m grateful for this second chance at life’
“Band camp started. I was having trouble breathing and couldn’t walk to class. I was given an inhaler to use, but it didn’t help. One specialist said I would never get better.”
‘I decided not to push reading with our second daughter. I don’t believe college is the main goal. I don’t think college is for everyone.’: Mom advocates for homeschooling, ‘It prepares our children for the real world’
“It’s my belief ‘unschooling’ prepares our children for the real world more than any classroom ever could. My biggest fear of walking into homeschooling was teaching our daughters how to read. It seemed so overwhelming. Our daughter wasn’t happy either.”
‘Today I sobbed in my car. He wanted to take her to a concert with matching shirts. Her daddy was the biggest undercover Swifty.’: Widow writes gratitude lists during grief journey, ‘I have to remind myself this is only temporary’
“My daughter has been playing Taylor Swift on repeat. Songs trigger things. Even angsty teenagey songs. While the rain poured down on my drive home alone, I sobbed. I would give anything to hear him say ‘Hey, Mama!’ to my mom again.”
‘You came into our lives when they were scared to trust. You showed them it was okay to let their guard down.’: Mom writes appreciation post for step-dad with Father’s Day approaching
“It’s because you teach them they don’t need anything but their imagination to have fun. It’s because every single night you lay with them snuggled up close until they fall asleep, no matter how long it takes. It’s because you loved them right from the start and you’ve never been ashamed to show it.”
‘I burst into tears and couldn’t stop. I don’t want to have 3 a.m. conversations about dinosaurs and unicorns.’: Mom shares how mental load of parenting has taken its toll
“I spent an exhausting day trying to be a fun mom, only to be rejected by my 5 year-old who told me he hated me and wanted to live somewhere else. It shouldn’t offend me, because he’s 5, but it did.”
‘Mom, your hair smells good.’ I wondered what in the world changed. In fact, I’m showering less than before COVID hit.’: Mom realizes this ‘time of stillness’ will remain in kids’ memories
“Had I changed dry shampoo? I didn’t think so. My face lotion was the same Mary Kay I had been using for months. Why were they suddenly enamored with my smell? Then, it hit me. We’ve never had this much time together before.”
‘We usually tell women at this stage to complete their families.’ I was only 17. That wasn’t an option. I had no idea how unlucky I’d be.’: Woman battles stage 4 endometriosis, 2 miscarriages, and hysterectomy
“I was about to turn 25, recently separated. I had only been dating this guy for a month, and had told him I couldn’t get pregnant. Now, here I was, in my aunt’s bathroom, staring at this stick like it had just back-handed my momma. I scheduled my first OB appointment since my regular gynecologist/surgeon is not an OB. ‘I don’t see a baby,’ she said as nonchalantly as humanly possible.”