“There is nothing sexy about taking SIX kids on a plane or driving a church van, but these are the things that bring us the greatest joy.”
‘We were pregnant, adopting 3 children who didn’t speak our language. We were DOUBLING our family.’: Mom shares ‘crazy, life-changing adventure’ of adoption
‘She walked into the bar alone. My gut told me she was also in the dead husband club. She asked, ‘Does it ever get easier?’: Suicide widow makes ‘lifelong’ friend, ‘Connection keeps us going’
“’She can’t possibly be ready to date, can she?’ Now 3 years in, I’m asked all the time, ‘Why are you still single?’ It hurts so bad you feel it down to your bones.”
‘My husband threw his cuff links across the room and said, ‘I want an annulment.’ I spent the first night as his wife alone on a hard hotel couch.’: Ex-couple join forces to co-parent after divorce
“Weeks from our wedding I was told, ‘You have cancer.’ He arrived at the hospital reeking of perfume. ‘I found someone. I’m in love. She’s pregnant.’ He left our fairytale for the woman I sat next to at his company dinner. She’d just rubbed my pregnant belly.”
‘You know, you can prevent that.’ We conceived another child out of wed-lock. I don’t have a kid-collecting complex.’: Mom of 9 grateful for ‘the gift of motherhood’
“My water broke at 22 weeks. I spent weeks on bedrest at home with 4 kids under 4. We spent 8 weeks separated, me in a hospital bed, begging God to bring my boy into the world healthy.”
‘You must be sad you will never have a normal life.’ This person had pity for my son. It felt like a shot fired and received.’: Mom to son with autism urges ‘there is only joy and gratitude’
“That one shocked me. It snuck in my comments, buried amongst thousands. This person had pity for my son. Pity for our situation. They saw him and saw sadness.”
‘She slipped away. She died with things left unsaid. She isn’t here to answer the questions that pierce my soul. Does she know how much I loved her?’: Woman pens tribute to late mother
“Did she know her smile could light up a room? That I would still remember it like I saw it yesterday. Did she know her greatness, her never-ending legacy that can’t be replaced? That she is missed so fiercely it changes the composition of our hearts. Does she know how much I loved her?”
‘Today I held back tears of frustration while the sweet girl at Chick-fil-A took my order. I forgot my mask, and my antidepressant.’: Woman urges ‘we’ll emerge from this year stronger’
“I’m tired. Worn out. Burned to a crisp. T-O-A-S-T. I think we all are. The last six months have felt like six years, and at the same time I don’t quite understand how the year is almost over.”
‘She’s alive. I should be grateful.’ But I wasn’t. I was angry. I did everything in my power to ‘fix’ her.’: Mom to daughter with Cerebral Palsy shares journey, ‘I focus on what she CAN do’
“I was wheeled next to her incubator and remember seeing her full head of hair. But I didn’t feel happy. I felt helpless. I couldn’t hold her, bond with her, or breastfeed her. I remember thinking, ‘What do I do?’ I went to Dr. Google for answers, and that just led me into a downward spiral of despair. How could I raise a child with special needs? I didn’t even know how to raise a typical child.”
‘Walking into the house, I said to the baby, ‘We are home!’ It felt cruel. These words aren’t true. This is her home now, but it’s only temporary.’: Foster mom urges ‘I am not a superhero, they are’
“I see families torn apart, siblings separated. Children abandoned, biological parents unable to conquer addictions. People say, ‘I couldn’t foster. I’d never be able to let them go!’ It will be sad. We will grieve. In the end, I will be okay. But will they?”
‘I looked at the poop bag and cried. ‘I’d rather die.’ I didn’t want my partner to stop loving me.’: Woman with ulcerative colitis advocates for stomas, ‘Every body is worthy’
“I was toxic. ‘You need emergency surgery.’ The thought of having a bag was the worst thing possible. I refused to discuss it.”