“This gives me a reason not to give up, to keep fighting. No matter how little we have, there’s always enough to give to someone else.”
‘They saved my life, and I just want to give back.’: Woman answers Santa letters, giving back after community helped her get sober
‘When I flipped it over to polish the underside, I saw the date 1919 engraved into the silver. I never understood its extreme value before.’: Mom shares history of family menorah
“It represents my family. It represents my family’s history. It represents a new life. A better life. A life of survival and freedom.”
‘Do others just happily ride the current of hot trends and best deals without any soul nausea? I’m aching for quiet.’: Woman talks tuning out noise, creating stillness this Christmas
“Constant information and solicitation. Amplification of confrontation. Perpetual bombardment of breaking news and viral videos. Divisive posts and explosive comment threads. My eyes are blurry and my ears are ringing — and it’s not from twinkling lights or jingle bells.”
‘I wanted our first Christmas together to be perfect, but tragedy struck. The following year, things were even worse.’: Mom shares importance of love, giving, and opening up about loss during holidays
“Many people struggle during the holidays from losing loved ones, and we wanted to let other families out there know it’s okay to talk about it. It’s okay to be hurting during this season. You are not alone.”
‘He was a sophomore in high school, and I was a freshman in college. If you told us then that we’d be married, we would’ve laughed at you.’: Stepmom shares love story, life as blended family
“Even at 2 years old, he would tell me to leave and get away. Life doesn’t come with an instruction manual, and that goes for being a stepmom and having a blended family.”
‘Mama, I need you to tell God to get me out of here.’ Sleep is my only escape from the hell I’m living in.’: Woman taken hostage by Somali pirates rescued by Seal Team VI after 93 days
“I am a hostage. I am no longer Jessica Buchanan, wife, teacher, daughter, human. I am simply an American dollar sign — a commodity that needs to be kept just alive enough so I can be cashed in.”
‘I don’t have it all together. But this season is about magic and love…not perfection.’: Mom urges love during the holidays
“My mind is on a never-ending treadmill of thoughts, but I will focus on what is most important, especially THIS season…and THIS year.”
‘Can I let you know the night before?’ I remembered what and who means the most to me.’: Mom shares her priorities this holiday season
“Someday soon, I’ll be in a completely different season of life. Until that happens, I will embrace this season for all of its beauty and its faults.”
‘It’s hard to feel the swirl and whirl and magic wonder I did as a child.’: Mom shares never-fading Christmas ‘Miracle Magic’
“Perhaps, dear Christmas Magic, your glitz and glimmer aren’t meant to be sustained. Perhaps your glitter is a special, fleeting, children’s gift that prepares the way for hearts to receive the only lasting gift, the Christmas Magic that never fades.”
‘My entire body feels like it’s trapped under bags of cement, any attempt to lift a finger causes excruciating pain. Tears roll down my face.’: Lupus warrior shares self-love journey
“As we took our final bow, I could feel my clock running out. Every joint in my body ached. But I was determined to play the role of a ‘healthy person in their 20s’ for as long as I could.”