“I chose an amazing woman to be the mother of the child I birthed. And yet, I no longer knew how to approach her. Nine years after placing my daughter the adoption agency called me with news that would change the rest of my life. My birth daughter’s family had contacted them to see if I would be willing to meet.”
“I’m tired or vibrant. I’m drinking water or in the drive-thru with a Coke. I wake up and get everything done or I’m coasting till bedtime. I often wake up wondering which side of the line I’ll fall on today.”
“He’s not your typical 9-year-old boy. He watches musicals, not football. He is sensitive and shy. Yet another day he is reduced to tears after no one wants to be his friend. Another day he bows his head, in fear he will be mocked.”
“When I was pregnant, everyone said to me, ‘Enjoy every moment. It goes by so fast.’ I wish I could go back and re-do the first few weeks with my firstborn. I would cherish every moment. It feels like just yesterday you entered this world, but now, it’s a distant memory.”
“Was it an accident? Would he be okay? I knew the worst was yet to come. The decision had to be made to remove him from life support at just 5 years old while state decided to pursue adoption for my sisters. I was asked, ‘Do YOU still want to foster them?’ And just like that, my plans changed.”
“She was the first thing he went to in the morning and the last thing he kissed at night. She was his protector. She was his safety blanket. She was his best friend. He rubs her fur, she licks his hands, and together they can take on the world.”
“My biological father was a serial philanderer. I used to tell my husband, ‘You ever cheat on me, it will be the last time.’ Little did I know, 18 years later, I’d be left with 3 kids while he was out joyriding in my car with the another woman. ‘Well, don’t you think it’s too soon?’ In the chaos of my marriage ending, I never thought I’d fall in love with my best friend’s brother. When I give my heart to someone, I give it.”
Instead of issuing the pregnant woman a citation, the judge dismissed her case after learning she was three weeks away from delivering her rainbow baby.
“Our apartment was located near bars. 8 days after moving in, we found out we were pregnant. Life did an immediate 180. We’d wake up, look at Snapchat, and watch all of the fun we were missing out on. When we heard our baby’s heartbeat flutter for the first time, we knew we’d do anything for that little person living inside me.”
“They used to say, ‘’Wow, your skin is so beautiful! What’s your skincare routine? Are you wearing makeup?’ In August of 2019, my skin would take a drastic turn. My face continued to get worse. I was becoming more and more self-conscious. I would wear makeup to hide it. I had no clue I would have to change my entire life up until that moment.”
