“I turned bright red when he told me. When we lived overseas, there was a 7-hour time difference and a 23-hour flight separating us from the rest of our family. He’s the kind of man who holds you when you cry and ask for forgiveness.”
‘He told me once when he was deployed, a woman noticed my picture on his laptop. He carries a heavy load.’: Military spouse says ‘the load is so much lighter when we carry it together’
‘I was suddenly watching her monitor flat-line. Countless nurses rushed to save her. It happened 20 times that day.’: Mother shares traumatic process diagnosing daughter with Adrenal Insufficiency
“I never planned to be a medical expert, or to have to inject my daughter to save her life. Ten times I’ve swallowed back tears while holding my limp child in my arms; remembering each step to prepare the syringe; taking a deep breath as I jab it into her thigh; praying she will jolt awake, open her eyes, and come back to life.”
‘We need to talk, Kayleigh. The amount of water you’re drinking is drowning your body.’: Woman talks about fighting mental illness, ‘You don’t have to believe your thoughts.’
“I kept saying, ‘I don’t know, I don’t remember, I don’t think so.’ I felt so stupid. Like had I not been living in my own body? How come I didn’t know how much I have been sleeping, or using the washroom, or what day it was for that matter? Healing was for people who had time to sit around and think about their problems.”
‘It was a simple act of kindness she didn’t have to offer, as I’d never even met her in person. But she did.’: Act of kindness provides strength to let go and heal after loss of fiance
“I kept these wedding dresses hanging in my closet… a reminder of all the things in life I wouldn’t get. A reminder I was angry. And sad. And I had every right to be, because I was robbed of my happily ever after. If I couldn’t have it, I was going to hold on to every single piece I could.”
After Years Of Marriage And Multiple Kids, Valentine’s Day Looks Different
“Shiny jewelry, cuddly teddy bears, and Valentine’s cards are long gone. But there is nowhere else I’d rather be, and no one else I’d rather be doing this with.”
‘I know why you work odd jobs, come home late at night. You suspect I have no idea. I won’t lie and say I didn’t think you found someone else to love.’: Woman tells husband ‘it’s okay to not be the breadwinner’
“You’re not the breadwinner. You’ve taken heat from your family, and even friends, for not being the stereotypical working man who brings home all the money his family needs. The truth is that for years now, without realizing it, I put you in a position for criticism.”
I Was Imprisoned For My Heroin Addiction, Now I Run The Largest Substance Abuse Recovery Center In Utah
“I put the sheet around my neck and waited. I just couldn’t let go. I could hear the voices in my head saying, ‘You can’t even do this right.’ When I was released from prison, my family wouldn’t take me in. After too many broken promises, they were done with me. I owed $33,000 in child support and $100,000 for my crimes. ‘You’re going to be okay.’ My prisonmates saved my life. They took me in when I was too far gone.”
‘Stop, you’re holding him too close.’ I ignored them, rarely letting go. I assumed everyone was this fiercely protective.’: Mom shares battle with postpartum anxiety, ‘I had no idea why I was suffering’
“Night upon night were panic-filled dreams, cold sweats. I’d frantically fumble through the sheets in search of my baby, who I was convinced I’d rolled on in my extreme state of exhaustion. Everywhere we went, I envisioned horrible things. I became the mother who hovered beneath the play equipment and fed only pureed food in fear he would choke. My mom friends stopped trying. Offers for play-dates and coffee meets ceased.”
‘I told the nurse, ‘Tie my tubes. I’m done, I don’t ever want to do this again!’ I begged my fiancé to find another woman. ‘I just can’t do it, I’m sorry.’: Woman births rainbow baby after still birth, 3 miscarriages
“At 18, I’d miscarried 3 times. Here I was, at risk of losing another baby. My OB said, ‘Your plan was to have a baby and bring a baby home. I know you still want that.’ Each month, I counted his kicks the way kids count raindrops on a car window. I texted my mom, ‘I can’t do this. What if I’m making a mistake?’ It was go time. I closed my eyes as tight as I could, clenched my teeth, and pushed.”
‘I just found a giant bottle of vodka in their closet, so I’m pretty freaked out.’ Parenting teenagers makes us into liars. We show the shiny side. We can no longer spill our guts.’: Mom says parents to teens ‘need a village more than ever’
“All this may be true, but we are all only telling one side of the story.”