“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.”
‘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 thought I just had a ‘strong’ pregnancy. ‘You don’t think it’s TWINS, do you?’ Sure enough, we saw two of the most beautiful heartbeats.’: Couple battling infertility welcome twins, ‘It’s a dream come true’
“My husband said, ‘At the end of the day, when we’re looking back on our life, we want to know we did everything we could.’ Two months later, we began IVF. I heard the words I’d prayed over for a long, long time.”
‘She is probably tired.’ There was no movement. I found a glimmer of hope. I’d be with her every minute I could.’: Daughter born with Cerebral Palsy, ‘Her strength is inspiring’
“Even in our darkest hours, we find joy. Jaxlee’s smile can light up a room. She shines with joy but also resilience. She has weathered SO much.”
‘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.'”
‘Are you ready to meet your son?’ she asked with a big smile. 2 days earlier, I didn’t even know he existed. There was no turning back.’: Couple shares beautiful adoption journey
“We got a call from our caseworker. ’Can you be in Georgia tomorrow?’ I answered ‘YES’ without a second of hesitation. My husband silently mouthed to me, ‘Are you nuts?’ I knew. My heart was pounding, but I knew.”
‘Can you quit drinking to support me?’ It felt so unfair. Why should I give up drinking when HE was the alcoholic?’: Mom celebrates 5 years sober, ‘I’m truly proud of the person I am today’
“I honestly had to think about it. I was devastated at the thought of divorce but the thought of a life without alcohol seemed unbearable.”
‘What if I can’t help people learn Kit’s song? Do I know his song? Does he?’ Then it dawned on me. I’m not the composer of his masterpiece. He is.’: Mom to son with autism says ‘his world is beautiful’
“No parent chooses their kids’ song. Kids aren’t like a jukebox. As long as we can find music our children love, we must be doing something right.”
‘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.”
‘I must be crazy.’ The façade was crumbling. I had a rash on my face, feet, and hands. I tried to smile and stay strong.’: Lupus warrior shares journey, ‘I am STRONG and radiant’
“I participated in an online course about ‘positivity,’ which aligned perfectly with my mentality of sugarcoating all my symptoms. I thought to myself, ‘All this can’t be true.’”
‘I think she has some fractures.’ Nobody knew what was wrong with me. The pain was EVERYWHERE.’: Chronic illness warrior fights to ‘stay positive’
“All my problems, physical and mental, changed me. I get more medical visits than visits from my friends. But I still need to see the positives in life.”