“Maybe your waistline grew this past decade (GUILTY, FRIEND), but so did your family. I fear for a time when my daughter would choose to comment only on her WEIGHT in her joyful photos. People preach about the importance of self-love and ignore the elephant in the room.”
‘I watched more than a few of my friends commenting negatively on how they look now. Girl, stop glorifying your past self just for being skinnier.’: Woman reminds us ‘comparison is the thief of joy’
‘I got pregnant. My father said I ‘ruined his reputation.’ A black family was not welcomed.’: Woman in interracial marriage says ‘my family is a symbol of unity’
“People would approach our daughter and ask if she was lost and needed help finding her mommy. We were followed and harassed by cops sometimes for miles while we drove. They demanded to know if he was a gang banger.”
‘His skin crawls, he can’t communicate, and he never sleeps. I was going to ‘fix’ my son, it would not win.’: Mom of Autistic son details acceptance of his diagnosis; ‘I’m proud of him’
“I isolated myself and refused to leave the apartment. I canceled therapies, stopped cleaning and cooking, sobbed, and threw things. I finally emerged from the fog.”
‘I left widow groups because my loss doesn’t get compassion like others.’: Woman reflects on overdose awareness day, ‘I loved him and he loved me’
“People ask me all the time if I knew. What I knew was that I loved him. I spend a lot of time asking who is to blame.”
‘Then cancer struck. It’s hard to be single in a sea of married people. Friends dragged me to the next step.’: Widow is grateful for ‘friend family’ who carry her through life
“They stand by me through the hardest times of my life. They have most recently watched me lose myself in someone who was not worthy of my time. They include us in family gatherings, and their husbands step up when my daughter needs a father figure in her life.”
Reflections From A Token Black Friend
“There is no escape. There is no level of success that will spare you. We are black men, and that is all that matters to some. Many white people do not understand their level of ignorance — especially the good ones.”
‘He was 9 years older. I thought he was my everything. As soon as I hit the top of the stairs, my heart started racing. ‘I love you. Something is wrong.’: Woman with Tachycardia starts weight loss journey
“I started sweating and it didn’t stop. I should have called 911 but I called my husband. I told him I loved him and something was wrong. May 20th was the day my life changed forever. I never believed I was allowed to smile or be happy because no one was ever nice to me.”
‘Is he walking yet?’ I got defensive. I gave a long-winded response, explaining everything else he was doing as if it were an issue.’: Mom urges ‘don’t rush milestones’
“He is 12 months old and still not walking. Why is it we want to rush the milestones instead of embracing them being babies for just a little bit longer?”
‘In my rearview mirror I saw a small, dark SUV turn around and follow me. ‘What’s going on?’ The police jumped out and drew their guns.’: Military veteran details experiences with racism in and out of uniform
“I was told, ‘Your vehicle matches the description of a robbery.’ He cuffed me as two more squad cars pulled in front of my house. I explained to them I wasn’t the man they were looking for and to please check the security cameras. They handcuffed me in front of my kids. Not in my military uniform, I was no longer one of the ‘good ones.'”
‘We received an email out of the blue: ‘It’s time, you can bring your children home now.’ I choked back tears. We waited 22 months.’: Couple adopt two children into ‘forever family,’ now family of 7
“10 minutes after turning off the light, I whispered, ‘Are you asleep?’ Stephen turned the light back on. We had to make a decision about bringing two children into our family solely based on pictures. ‘These were the children God sent to us, so, what is there to discuss?’ That was the moment they began to grow in our hearts.”