“In my late 20s and 30s, friends moved from drinking to drugs. When a friend died of an overdose or a car accident, we celebrated them with a toast and a drink. I visited friends in jail and drove them to their court-ordered AA meetings. Careers were derailed by DUIs. Still, I didn’t see it.”
“I started a running streak. I ran at least a mile a day (often more) for 252 days straight without stopping – the same number of days Sami was alive. I wanted a way to consciously think about what that amount of time felt like, to feel it physically.”
“Moving with a special needs child is no easy feat.”
“Sometimes I wonder why she can’t be more agreeable. Why things can’t be easier. Yet deep down, even on my most exhausting days, I know I wouldn’t change her. The world needs her vivacious spirit.”
“We planned on a pumpkin patch visit. Instead, we were facing the possibility of losing our baby before we’d even received his birth certificate.”
“While I would never have imagined that 7 years later, we would still be here without a baby, I am grateful for who I have grown to become and the lessons this journey has taught me.”
“My doctor told me, ‘If you don’t get a job, you could always work in the circus.’ People would pat me on the head and say, ‘Isn’t she cute?’ But I never gave up, and I proved them wrong.”
“This little kid with the politician smile and biggest heart had won us over. There would be no more disruptions for him, no more moving. Dwayne, the little kid who needed a home, had finally found his place.”
“While our journey is nothing we would have expected, God blessed us with pregnancies only six weeks apart.”
“As the month went on, we noticed more waves from walkers and honks from drivers. The skeletons seemed to have provided the community with some comic relief during a time where many people were feeling isolated.”
