“I walked over and found a gold pack of gummy bears, and a sticky note that read, ‘I love you.’ I burst into tears.”
‘His head hung, pajamas on from the night before. He forgot his bag. He never experienced forgiveness.’: Kindergarten teacher shares student’s act of kindness
‘I saw a message from a woman I didn’t know. My husband’s breath caught. I was already pregnant.’: After infidelity, single mom learns to thrive with medically complex son
“I watched as they wheeled his small body out of the room, shattered I hadn’t even been able to touch my baby. Suddenly, I had to provide for myself and my son. Motherhood already looked nothing like I had expected.”
‘DCS is on their way to get the kids.’ We hugged a million times. I cried my eyes out..’: Mom describes ‘unpredictability’ of foster care, ‘They’ll leave your home, but never your heart’
“Our 3-year-old snuggled in my lap and cried. DCS drove away with our kids. I cried. How do you convince them you will always love them? It’s not their fault.”
‘I’ll be back for you, I promise.’ I looked back with tears in my eyes. Her life is a revolving door of state workers and strangers.’: Adoptee becomes volunteer foster care advocate, ‘No act of love is too little’
“Her vocabulary includes words that would break your heart. As she expressed the pain in her heart, I felt as if I was looking at my former self. ‘I know you, I see you, and I am going to fight for you.’ She looked at me with tears in her eyes, and told me she believed me. I’ll show her she can.”
‘Why, Mommy? Why are you hurting me?’ Blood poured out of her mouth. The next 60 minutes were pure torture.’: Tongue-tied newborn’s traumatic surgery reminds mom of faith
“‘The entire bottom of her tongue is connected to the bottom of her mouth.’ Her angry wails became a high-pitched scream of pain. I turned away. Tears poured down my face; it took all my willpower not to stop the procedure. The feel of her lips on my skin brought back painful, traumatic memories.”
‘You should just go have a one-night stand and get pregnant.’ I had never felt so dirty.’: Woman becomes single mom with support from loved ones, ‘I never felt alone’
“‘If I have no prospects by the time I’m thirty, I’ll have a baby on my own.’ I was stagnant. I hated the person staring back at me in the mirror. All I had to say was, ‘I was wrong.’”
‘Oh, how a boy needs his momma. This job is so much bigger than just keeping them alive.’: Boy mom pens emotional open letter
“They need back scratches, stern looks, and smiles their friends don’t notice. They need our ‘I love you’s,’ and those hard moments as we slowly let them go. A boy needs his momma to be happy when he is happy and sad when he is sad. Being a boy mom is so much bigger than I thought.”
‘We argued, we ignored. We went to bed angry and woke to no kiss goodbye. The next morning my phone dinged. A simple ‘I love you’ was staring at me.’: Woman urges ‘cherish each day’
“Last Sunday was nothing short of a gift, from the big guy himself. We woke up healthy and well; we went to bed healthy and well. But the day in itself? We didn’t cherish it like we should have.”
‘Don’t miss out waiting for the next big thing, the perfect occasion, the right day.’: Woman urges ‘big things are big, but the small things are too’
“Girls’ trips are fantastic, but has your friend ever shown up at your door in the midst of chaos, in perfect timing? Date nights are fun, but have you ever eaten leftovers while sitting together on your couch? Vacations are the sweetest, but have you ever stayed right where you are and soaked in what God gave you?”
‘I hadn’t been with a woman. He was monogamous. She’s bisexual. Now, all 3 of us live together.’: Polyamorous throuple says ‘it’s been a beautifully complex experience’
“We were just three people who wanted to get to know one another and fell in love during the process.”