“My little boy was knocked off his feet by a bigger kid during a soccer game. My hands were clinched on the sidelines as I watched him limp toward the goal. I watched and I watched, and I waited. And he never even looked for me. He fell hard. And he didn’t even look for me.”
“When I get frustrated with my husband, I want to be left alone, but he wanted to talk. Talk?! Are you kidding me? Ryan expressed his frustration with me as we sat in the hot tub. I wasn’t caught off guard, I knew it was coming.”
“I laugh at what a good husband is to me now, after three kids, a mortgage, and nonstop chaos. You wouldn’t find any of these ‘traits’ on a dating profile. But they will matter eventually. Trust me.”
“It was 4:55 pm. ‘I’m going upstairs to wait for her call,’ I told my family. I walked into my bedroom and flopped on my bed. My fears got the best of me. I couldn’t handle another heartbreak. There is no way we’d be chosen. How could we? We are older, we have 3 children. They wanted to help a childless couple. I laid in the fetal position in my bed, rocking back and forth, feeling nauseous. The phone rang. Was I hearing this correctly?”
“He went on to explain he can’t help but ‘notice’ breastfeeding, and since he’s a guy, he can’t help looking at breasts when they’re ‘just out there.’ Yes, I educated him.”
“At the end of our meal, our server brought us a to-go box and said 5 words with a smile that hit me hard: ‘Your meal’s already been covered.’ Here’s what no one could have possibly seen: Today, 4 years ago, my little brother lived his last day in this world. Today was a ‘Just make it through’ kind of day. Until this moment.”
“They wheeled me back. With a smile on a face I yelled, ‘See you soon!’ The next thing I remember, I opened my eyes and was completely alone in a very dark room. With tears in his eyes he told me, ‘We found a large tumor.’ I was in a nightmare. Oh, no. It can’t be. Brave face Amanda, brave face. I had TWO types of cancer. Absolutely no way. ‘There is some bad news, however.’ There was more bad news? It was too much.”
“My husband is literally a child when he wants to go out with his friends. Before he asks me if I’m okay with it, he’ll sit on the edge of the bed pretending to be interested in watching Gossip Girl. Many ask, ‘Why would he even have to ask you? He’s an adult.’ Or, ‘He shouldn’t have to ask you. That’s controlling.’ No, it’s not a control thing. It’s a respect thing.”
“My immediate first reaction was, ‘Crap. He’s totally freaked out. Maybe I was wrong in thinking he would love this!’ Then he began twirling – in the curtains. I cringed. ‘Oh my. He’s totally not listening!’ I started to get this fiery, internal rage inside of me. WHY wasn’t anyone there to direct him?! He’s 6! I was so shocked.”
“He was 19-years-old with acute liver failure. As the hospital elevator doors opened, the words ‘Solid Organ Transplant Unit’ were burned into my brain. How can we be here now? He is so young with so much to life to live.”
