“Yes of course, we said. No of course not, others said. What the priest spoke about instead was quiet suffering. Private suffering. Carefully hidden suffering. The kind of suffering that kills people.”
‘When my mother died, the priest asked if he could speak openly about suicide and mental health during his homily at her funeral mass.’
‘The kids are being nightmares’: Every now and then while I’m at work I get that dreaded text message
“Sometimes I see it and forget to even reply because I’m ‘busy’. We speak when I’m on my way home from work and by the time I get home they are already in bed. I missed it. She had to do it on her own.”
‘I cannot express what it feels like to carry around a dead baby for a month. I wanted to claw out of my body.’: After her month-long miscarriage, woman says she would ‘never wish this pain on anyone’
“Our doctor joked about the possibility of seeing triplets on the ultrasound. I was dizzy, so very dizzy. I laid down on the table and exposed my stomach. I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t ready for my heart to be broken again. He put the wand on my stomach, and I knew instantly. I couldn’t see a baby. My doctor was quiet. I told him there was nothing there. It wasn’t a question. I knew.”
‘He passed away on Friday. The work was done.’ Grandfather refuses to let himself die until the chores were done on his farm
“He didn’t know who we were at times. He didn’t know where he was. He couldn’t do anything independently. But he knew he had things to do. The lawnmower blade needed sharpening, the hay needed to be bailed. He had work to do.”
‘I had convinced myself I was just being paranoid. I was oblivious to the fact this could end up badly, so I went alone. It was supposed to be a chill day.’
“I noticed he was getting super clumsy. But he was a toddler, and most toddlers are naturally wobbly. Yet this felt different. He was holding on to the wall when he would walk, sometimes he would just fall right over. It was strange.”
‘I’m not ready for Zeze to grow up, but I think he’s well on his way.’: Mom prides compassionate, hardworking son
“Earlier this week we went to get Zeke’s senior yearbook pictures. On the way, I noticed his hands. Working hands.”
‘853 days. That’s how much time my son spent with his biological parents before they both tragically passed away. While legally my adopted son, he is biologically my brother.
“Easton lost his mom to an overdose, and then we both lost our father 12 days later to pancreatic cancer. Today marks the day that he has officially spent more time with us, than he ever did with his biological parents. Let that sink in.”
As A Healthy 28-Year-Old, I Never Thought I Would Fall Victim To Cardiac Arrest
“Doctors informed my family they were unsure if I would regain normal functioning, as I had possibly lost too much oxygen to the brain.”
‘I was married to a drug addict, then I married a man who happened to be a recovering addict. I wouldn’t change a thing.’
“My children’s father was set on a path that would lead him to a heroin addiction. The young man I had married, the one that had loved his babies and was so excited to be a dad, was gone.”
‘When we opened the door, she said, ‘You’re really here! You’re so beautiful!’: Couple adopts daughter after failed adoption and infertility battles, ‘Adoption is in our blood’
“I can’t describe the moment you see the birth mom for the first time and just KNOW she’s family. You’re speechless and overcome with undeniable love for a stranger. As she passed our baby girl into my arms, the biggest tears were running down our faces. It was the most sacred moment I’ve ever been a part of.”