“I took my otherwise healthy daughter to the ER for lethargy and a high fever. As I watched her rest, I heard beeping and babies crying for hours straight. I saw mamas pacing every open space. Thing is, we don’t always acknowledge the mamas who do this every day.”
‘Your baby doesn’t go home with a quick fix prescription. You know every inch of the hospital. Life can’t resume as normal.’: Mom pens appreciation letter for ‘mamas of very sick kids’
‘You have taken on more than any child should. Deep down, the whole word thanks you for your resilience.’: Teacher mom pens appreciation letter to all teacher’s kids
“Thank you for taking a break during our nighttime story because mommy is answering urgent emails from parents. For accepting the art project mommy just bought isn’t for you. For understanding every child who walks into your mommy’s zoom call is now also one of ‘her kids.’ You love them like your own.”
‘It’s going to be rough, PLEASE don’t let him remember.’ My bike flew into the air. Part of my skull was gone.’: Man recovers from horrible accident, ‘The love of strangers overwhelmed me’
“There was a speeding car behind me. I don’t have any memory of it. People from around the world started messaging my parents, letting them know they were praying for me. Tears streamed from my eyes.”
‘The room was awfully quiet. ‘Are you SURE about the dates?’ They abruptly sent me away. I couldn’t function.’: Woman celebrates double rainbow baby, ‘If it didn’t happen, we wouldn’t have him’
“At 6 weeks along, I started to bleed. I was convinced it was happening a third time. She gasped, ‘Oh wow, a heartbeat!’ Words I’d never heard before. I was waiting for the other shoe to drop.”
‘I can’t believe we’re actually doing this!’ We were two unmarried twenty-somethings. We chose foster care, TOGETHER.’: BFFs become foster parents, ‘We were called to love them completely’
“One of us dared say it out loud: ‘I want to pursue foster care.’ ‘What?!? Me too.’ Not someday, then. Together. I saw it from our agency’s placement desk and stepped into the kitchen. ‘Two-day-old baby girl ready to be discharged tomorrow, yes or no?’ Yes. Yes. Yes! We never looked back.”
‘The school district took the very blunt stance, ‘It’s my way or the highway.’ Special education is under attack with little pushback.’: Special needs mom urges ‘we must draw a line in the sand’
“I remember thinking how strange it was that parents who lived in rich, powerful neighborhoods with top-rated schools felt the need to pull their special needs child out and home school. It made no sense. Until it happened to me.”
‘I married a man who knows how to love a mother. He prayed over me and our babes even before we knew our first child’s name.’: Woman tells husband ‘thank you for loving us so well’
“He’s coached me through my hardest days. He’s cheered me on through labor pains. For all the shared chores, for all the date nights we keep. For all the kids’ giggles, being my best friend, and supporting me every day. My life is so much better.”
‘I remember crying, ‘I feel like I’m the only person in the world without friends.’ There I was, 24 years old without my tribe. Life hit a total reset.’: Woman urges ‘you will find your people’
“There is nothing wrong with you, my love. But there is everything you have yet to still give to the world. I promise, one day, you will find your people.”
‘Something’s wrong.’ She’d stop breathing. We’d have a blue baby in our arms. The whirlwind had just begun.’: Baby diagnosed with ‘ultra rare’ Gould Syndrome, ‘She lives a joy-filled life’
“It’s probably not a big deal.’ The team was stumped. They decided to do an ultrasound just for good measure. Our world was shattered in that moment.”
‘My name is Jeff. Tell me exactly what happened.’ His voice changed, his tone dripping in comfort. He guided me through the biggest crisis I’ve ever experienced.’: Widow thanks ‘hero’ dispatcher, ‘Kindness is free’
“I told my husband, ‘I can’t do it anymore. I have to call.’ The tumors were everywhere. He looked me straight in the face and said, ‘I will never forgive you.’ I was on the verge of a breakdown. We do not think of dispatchers as heroes, but that night, Jeff was mine.”