“I was crushed, realizing I’d committed a terrible ‘sin.’ I was scared my parents would find out and know I’d done something horrible! Instead, I silently carried that guilt.”
Sonia Beltz
‘I dare you to smooch Michelle.’ I promised myself I’d forget that night. I’d committed a terrible sin.’: Ex-Mormon shares coming out journey, ‘Who you are is not a sin’
‘He stabbed her with a pencil. The teacher said, ‘He just likes her!’: Mom fights for daughter being bullied for race, ‘You HAVE to be their advocate’
“’Is it okay for Black girls to be Elsa for Halloween?’ I said, ‘ANYONE can be Elsa! Even a boy!’ She cried, ‘They told me if I want to be Elsa, I should wash my dirty skin.’ I was FUMING.”
‘College is NOT an option for you.’ It was a defining moment. My body gave up, but I was ARMED with newfound determination.’: Young woman shares journey with Cerebral Palsy, ‘I had to learn to embrace myself’
“I went into the hospital that day thinking my life was going to change for the better, but instead, it was worse than ANYONE could’ve imagined. I had to take control and shock EVERYONE.”
‘The judge skimmed my letter. In less than 5 minutes, we were ushered out of the courtroom. I felt powerless.’: Foster mom advocates for child welfare, ‘They need people to fight for them’
“My knuckles were white as I gripped the steering wheel. I was fighting back tears. My 6-year-old foster child sat in the backseat, oblivious. The system was failing him and no one cared.”
‘He screamed, ‘You’ll NEVER be clean!’ One day you’re in high school swooning over a senior and 15 years later you’re being arrested.’: Young woman shares journey to recovery, ‘It’s SO worth it’
“I overdosed on a drug cocktail a 350-pound linebacker shouldn’t have survived.”
‘We have 3 kids who were taken away from their mother.’ We went from zero to 3, INSTANTLY. I can’t believe we said yes.’: LGBTQ couple fosters 3 siblings, ‘Loving them is easy’
“‘You’re the ONLY home in the county who can take all 3.’ No pressure, right? After a few volleys, we told each other these kids don’t have anyone else.”
‘There’s a woman who posts beautiful things, and the one I come home to, who ISN’T okay.’ He accused me of being a fraud.’: Mom diagnosed with Lupus, multiple chronic illnesses, ‘We’re worthy of living our best lives’
“I was a mother who was too exhausted to mother, a creative who could not create, and a woman on fire to serve, but unable.”
‘Get AWAY! You’re not my mom!’ I couldn’t believe what we’d gotten ourselves into. We were NOT cut out for this.’: Couple embarks on foster care journey, ‘It truly takes a village’
“‘You’re the LAST family on our list.’ They were going to be separated. ‘Can we really handle 2 kids right now?’ We COULDN’T be the reason they were separated. We agreed to ‘try.'”
‘Why would he want to take on my baggage?’ Most days I was a puddle of tears, ashamed I’d ended up a statistic.’: Divorcees marry and create beautifully blended family, ‘We’re unbreakable’
“How would this work? I was divorced with 3 kids, he was divorced with 3 kids. I had to realize I was worthy of LOVE again.”
‘We don’t need language to know what makes her happy. I want nothing more than to see her succeed.’: Mom recounts daughter’s journey to autism diagnosis, ‘She was made for our family’
“We witness mini-miracles every single day. There’s a new, fierce, protective kind of unconditional love for her we wouldn’t have otherwise known.”
