“‘You need to stop what you’re doing or you’ll end up dead.’ I’d see him drive by with another woman. When my mom decided to divorce him, he didn’t show up. We stood at the court house and looked out the window from the top floor. The doctor approached my brother and I. ‘You have to make a decision to let him off the machines.’ We still had so many questions.”
“It’s looking for him in the early hours of the morning while the kids sleep in the car, praying I don’t find him dead on the road. It’s being quiet in the house because he claims there are cameras everywhere and people standing outside the window watching our every move. It’s tucking my kids into my arms and saying sorry over and over again. ‘Maybe this is his last one, just maybe.’”
“Were we selfish for not wanting him to be taken from us? We couldn’t blame her. She didn’t REALLY know us. She said to us: ‘You asked me to trust you, now I’m asking you to trust me.’ You could hear a pin drop in that room.”
“I’ve rocked in this rocking chair at least a million times. It is the perfect size for a mama and one little baby. I smile at you a little wider than my worn out face should be able to. I know these days will end.”
“Mothers so often come last.”
“After having my own accident that caused a permanent disability, I had to advocate for myself and my kids. 8 of 11 of them are special needs. There are many days I want to pull my hair out, but I never look back and think, ‘Why me?’ I am forever grateful to be their mama.”
“I’ve been sick for over 3 weeks with what we suspect is COVID-19, so my husband has had to stay home to watch our kids. Today, I have fallen in love with him all over again. He truly will do anything in his power to make us all smile.”
“I see you aching for those phone calls, those visits, those reassurances, those moments. I see you thinking time and time again, ‘If only I could call mom right now to ask her.'”
“Today I cried heavy tears. Today I ran with my 9-year-old who has no clue how cruel this world can be. One day, I will have to explain all this to my compassionate and loving son.”
“Emotion is normal. Wanting love and comfort is normal. What’s NOT normal is telling a child or another parent that holding them past the age of one isn’t okay.”
