“‘Dad says y’all are going to wrap presents.’ Huh? The LAST thing his dad and I are doing back there is wrapping—oh, wait.”

“‘Dad says y’all are going to wrap presents.’ Huh? The LAST thing his dad and I are doing back there is wrapping—oh, wait.”
“I swear I packed Snowflake and all of her accessories Matt bought over the years to make her laugh. When I unpacked, she was nowhere to be found. I thought maybe she would forget. She did not.”
“I can’t simply say to my wife, who’s curled up in the fetal position, shaking and crying, trying to dodge your incoming blows, ‘There’s nothing to worry about.’ She knows that. But I love her harder than you’ll EVER hit her.”
“We were careful with every single thing we did. Masks at all times, sanitizing, social distancing. There was no way I had it. I was ashamed and terrified my baby could die inside of me.”
“It was around 8 p.m. when I found myself crying and crawling, mostly crying, on my hands and knees in the middle of a Publix parking lot. I imagined the ring traveling the streets of Miami stuck on a tire thread.”
“I felt very drained. I kept running to the bathroom every 5 minutes. My shoes wouldn’t fit, and my face was starting to look and feel puffy. Our precious child was now going to help Mommy fight for her life.”
“When you are broken down to nothing and have to piece yourself together, you realize you are unstoppable. No one can hurt you.”
“My husband made me a promise. ‘We’ll have our own Christmas tree next year.’ I felt hope for the first time in 3 years. My mental health waned as the pandemic continued with no end in sight. But I kept coming back to his promise and what it meant to me.”
“She looked lifeless and was covered in wires. ‘You are so loved. I fought so hard to be with you.’ I soon became too weak to hold her. I realized I was bleeding. I tried to say, ‘Something’s wrong!’ but I passed out.”
“’When can I visit?’ I didn’t have an answer. He’d lived in a residential facility for almost 2 years. I’m his second chance.”