“I received an unsealed adoption file. ‘I’m going to disrupt the lives of several families by doing this.’ I sent my contact information and waited anxiously. Everywhere I went, I looked for passing strangers that looked like me. Then, one day, my phone rang: ‘I’m so glad you found me.’ Her words lit up my entire life.”
‘Your parents gave you away because they didn’t want you.’ I was taken in at 19 days old. My life became a mental game of ‘Who Could Be My Birth Mother?’: Adoptee reunites with biological mom, ‘I found my long-lost soulmate’
‘You’ll end up alone.’ I was called Miss Piggy and took 26 pills a day. The pain was suffocating.’: Woman diagnosed with Fibromyalgia overcomes eating disorder, suicide attempt
“I woke up one day in agony, unable to move properly and bed-bound. The constant pain was so overwhelming I felt like I couldn’t live anymore. I hated what I’d done to my body. It was time for a change.”
‘Mommy, I had an accident. I couldn’t make it to the toilet. I did it on the kitchen floor.’ I peeked over, half-asleep.’: Mom urges ‘give the blessing of grace and unconditional love’
“I knew within that moment two things could happen. As I sat up from my spot on the couch, she immediately took my breath away. I wanted to remember it all.”
‘I’ve been looking for you my whole life, and now I get TWO dads for the price of one!’ I welcomed her with open arms.’: Man discovers daughter after ‘life-changing’ DNA test, ‘She is so incredibly beautiful, inside and out!’
“A few weeks into quarantine, I received a message from a young woman. ‘I am your daughter and I have been looking for you my whole life!!!’ WHAT?!?! I’m a gay man and my husband and I have been together almost 20 years. She said, ‘I understand if you need some time. I’m an adult and don’t need anything. I just want to know my dad.'”
‘Mama, no! Please no hair wash! Too scary!’ Was I being punished? I dread it just as much as he does.’: Autism mom shares insight into meltdowns, ‘We live a spectrum life’
“I’ll often hear things like, ‘Every kid has tantrums.’ He cried outside in negative degree weather for over 10 minutes because he wasn’t the first person to walk in the house. He started hitting me, throwing things, hysterically crying. I felt like it was my fault.”
‘Masks were worn here before the pandemic. It’s not political. It’s a matter of, ‘Maybe it’s just allergies, but I don’t know for sure.’: Woman urges ‘community is a beautiful thing’
“Not once has any individual in Japan told me, ‘This is Japan. We speak Japanese here. Go back to where you came from.’ Not one time. I love my country dearly, hear that. But in so many ways, I KNOW we can do better.”
‘I feel like my dad left me.’ She lost him to suicide. Molly and Sarah live 3 hours away. ‘Do you want to do a Bible study?’: Middle school kids come together to pray during quarantine
“Two middle-school kids from totally different cultures are bringing joy to others.”
‘After the birth of my second child, I found myself at 206 lbs. It’s embarrassing to admit. I look rough, aged, even ugly.’: Mom offers encouragement to others struggling with body image, ‘You’ve never looked better’
“I used to see pictures of myself and think I looked FAB. Until I wasn’t. Until I got married, had one baby, and then two. I’m not picture-perfect.”
‘Will this be your first baby?’ the cashier asks me and smiles. I’m unsure how to respond. I gather my bags and turn to leave.’: Mom struggles to share hard truth about pregnancy journey, ‘Everyone has a past and a story’
“I don’t open up easily, and I definitely don’t spill my guts to a stranger in the checkout. The truth is, this is not our first baby.”
I Became A Teen Mom And A Widow At 18
“She dialed my mom’s number on speaker. ‘Hi, Diane. This is the nurse at your daughter’s school. Katherine has something to tell you.’ Seriously lady? I got on the phone, played dumb. ‘Oh my gosh, Katherine! What is going on?’ My parents had NO idea I was sexually active. Little did I know, there were bigger problems to worry about. ‘If he was wearing his seatbelt, he would have survived.’ A funeral was planned without me or my daughter in attendance.”