“I thought she was asking for me. She wasn’t.”
‘On our way home, we ended up front and center for a local protest. My daughter said, ‘Mama.’: Mom wonders about George Floyd’s final words, ‘I wonder if in those last few breaths, he was calling not on her, but us’
‘At least you’ll stay skinny!’ I sat on the toilet and cried. You never think you might be the ONE.’: Woman documents infertility journey, ‘Don’t be ashamed to talk about it’
“Why does every part of this ‘journey’ have to be a struggle? He marched to the front of the line, set his sperm filled cup right on the counter, and told them it was time sensitive and he couldn’t wait.”
‘I don’t really like black people, but you’re different.’ I shrank inside myself. I couldn’t change my skin, but I could lose every identifiable piece of who I was to blend in.’: Woman recalls experiences with racism, ‘I’m no longer a scared little girl’
“After months of being teased about my accent, my clothes, my hair, my body, I had no wherewithal to speak up when the N-word came out of the mouth of someone I considered a friend. I froze. I spent the rest of the year working hard to drop my accent. I got quiet. I learned not to raise my hand, because the teacher would make it a point to humiliate me anyway.”
‘She’s in heart failure.’ I’d most likely never get to meet her. We could deliver our stillborn baby.’: Woman gives birth to high risk baby with Down syndrome, ‘She defies all odds’
“We were sent to a high-risk OB every 2 weeks to see if her little heart had stopped beating. I was overcome with grief and despair. This was something that only happened to other people.”
‘Days after my divorce, an old childhood friend sent a friend request. It was thrilling. The universe, in all her wisdom, had plans for me.’: Woman marries ‘slice of Heaven on Earth’ after abusive relationships
“I married at 20. I would dutifully serve him only to beg, ‘Please come home.’ His answer was no. He had party plans with celebrities. I was never on his radar. After losing two babies, he emotionally abandoned me. It was the beginning of the end. But the universe, in all her wisdom, had other plans for me. It was our time.”
‘I was sleeping 16 hours a day. I felt someone squeezing my lungs every time I took a breath. ‘You’re fine, just go home and rest.’: Woman battling Lupus urges ‘you’re capable of crushing every obstacle in your path’
“A group of doctors huddled at the end of my bed. I overheard them say, ‘She’s so incredibly sick, we just can’t figure out what’s wrong. She isn’t going to make it.’ I spiked a 104 fever. I was writhing in pain, grunting, moaning, begging for it to stop.”
To The Self-Conscious Woman: Wear The Shorts, Confidence Looks Beautiful On You
“You see the imperfections. I see a woman who deserves to feel beautiful in whatever she chooses to wear.”
10 Things Special Needs Parents Wish They Had
“We always expect our kids with special needs to learn how to live in a world that wasn’t made for them, but we never ask the people around them to learn more about how to live in theirs.”
‘It can’t be.’ We were shocked. ‘How in the world are we going to raise this army of littles?’: Foster mom shocked by pregnancy, cares for 5 under four, ‘I was made to be a mommy’
“I didn’t feel like I could give them what they needed. I wasn’t enough. I was telling myself these lies they were better off somewhere else. But I couldn’t make that choice. I couldn’t give up my children!”
‘I just need you to move.’ I glanced up. ‘We were here first,’ I said firmly. She and her daughters stood there like Mount Rushmore — immovable.’: Mom to son with autism talks ‘need for grace’
“We were at Walmart buying toys. ‘I’m not being ugly. My son has autism and transitions are difficult for him.’ Disgusted, she began hurling insults at me as she hurried away with her daughters.”