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.
‘I made a choice after he died. I chose to stop being silent about the truth.’: Widow who lost husband to suicide advocates for mental health, ‘I promise, with every heartbeat, there is hope’
“Surviving the suicide of my first love and my kids’ father was a twist I never thought my life would take. But here we are, three years later, still living on after the whiplash of the tragedy which changed our lives forever.”
‘The first thing I heard was, ‘If she survives, she’s losing all of her limbs.’ I let her go. I’d rather live a lifetime of pain than have her here selfishly.’: Mom says ‘I have never felt more like a mom than I do after losing Kinsley’
“I let her go. That all sounded like a pretty sh*tty existence, right? Then they proceeded to say she had a stroke. As I watched my daughter die, all I wanted was to trade places with her. I wanted to take the pain away. So, I let her go.”
‘Last night, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I didn’t expect it. I haven’t hugged my mom!’: Woman struggling with anxiety says ‘what I’ve got going on is so enough right now’
“I parked my tired butt on the couch, overindulged in some sweets, and started to cry. I can barely wife and mom. Last night, it hit me like a ton of bricks. ALL OF THIS. I haven’t hugged my mom!”
‘I wonder how this man could ever love me. The guilt of having a cleaning lady makes me feel like a pathetic human being.’: Mom struggling with anxiety says ‘you never know who is desperately kicking beneath the surface’
“If I wanted to impress a crowd, I could. I’ve got my ducky little life put together. At home, my children are laughing, my husband is eating a hot dinner, and the floor is tidy and clean. Right beneath the surface, hidden right before your eyes, is someone desperately trying to stay afloat.”
‘That night led to a heated conversation. She finally looked at me and said, ‘What do you need?’: Couple struggling with new normal says ‘we must take care of each other’
“She was fried. She hadn’t slept much. I felt invisible. She looked at me and said, ‘This isn’t you, or the parent you want to be, so you need to tell me what you need or snap out of it.’ We sat in that uncomfortable place for a good 45 minutes.”
‘A friend shared an event post for a ‘car cruise.’ ‘Everyone is welcome.’ I didn’t have the heart to tell them they weren’t going to be in a parade after all.’: Mom hilariously takes kids to classic car parade by mistake
“OMG YOU GUYS. I notice that EVERY. SINGLE. CAR. THERE is either some sort of hot rod muscle car. I spent the next ten minutes until the ‘parade’ started avoiding eye contact with anyone, plotting my escape.”
‘She got hold of my phone. I’m scrolling through my phone and see that she took pictures of me without me realizing it.’: Mom struggling with mental health says ‘you are enough just as the mom you already are’
“As I type this, I’m sitting on the potty. Was that TMI? Ugh, I’m sorry. My four-year-old snapped this image of me today.”
I Found A Way To Social Distance With Friends, And It Saved Me From My Depression
“This is what’s right for me. Friends, six feet of space, and fresh air.”
‘I accused my father of giving me a desire to be a mom he wouldn’t fulfill. And yet, I knew there was a reason I wasn’t pregnant.’: Woman becomes foster mom after infertility battle, ‘I realized the promise was motherhood, not pregnancy’
“In less than 24 hours, our hearts turned from us to them. Our hearts somersaulted to an option that was nowhere near the table — it wasn’t even in the house. Foster care. And I was right, by the way. I’ve already given one baby back to his natural mom. But I’ll never not be a mom.”
‘I cried today. One moment I’m hugging my daughter, the next I’m yelling because she hasn’t finished her school work.’: Mom says ‘knowing I’m not alone keeps me sane’
“I cried yesterday , I cried today. I worry about my family and my aging parents. I worry about job security, and I worry for others — those businesses that may never open back up, the friends who are suddenly out of work.”