“And then I remember this one beautiful truth: I’m not her anymore.”
To The Woman Wondering Why She Wasn’t Invited
‘I saw him picking up playdough. He stopped, smiled and gave me the most beautiful engagement ring I have ever seen. I couldn’t catch my breath.’
“I never wanted to take that ring off. I didn’t want to be a widow. Yet, as I was washing dishes, I heard it hit the sink as it slipped off my hand. I just knew. He was telling me it’s ok to move on.”
‘Where does the time go?’ It’s amazing how parents are so shocked by all the things that have changed in our children.
“Some parents comment on how tall their child has gotten. Or how their daughter’s baby pudge is finally gone. One thing I have learned is how time moves differently when you are raising a family.”
‘Dad is losing mom at a more rapid pace than he wants her to go. She no longer reaches for his hand. She doesn’t lean in to kiss him. He feels so alone.’
“He doesn’t want to leave mom, but he feels like he doesn’t belong there. He hates the feeling of losing his freedom. My heart aches for him.”
‘People assume they have us figured out. The un-ringed left hand, tattoos, a Mama with diverse children, no doubt living off the government.’
“If they only knew.”
‘I don’t use makeup because I’m ashamed of my disease but because I feel entitled to not be defined by it.’
“It’s a way to distract myself and hide the raw emotions of my mental, emotional, and physical struggles. The power of makeup has been a nice reminder that through my suffering, the true me is still in there.”
‘I was just raped thousands of miles away from home as a 15-year-old, and I was scared.’
“I kept quiet about the incident out of sheer terror. Raising a girl is so terrifying when you’ve seen the ugliest parts of what being a girl has to offer at times.”
My Child Was Born Still, And I Will Never Be The Same
“You realize how profound and deafening silence can really be.”
‘We are so lucky to have a human like Terry. Terry just came along one day and introduced himself. He said he’d like to brush cats.’
“He also accidentally falls asleep most days. We don’t mind – Cats need this!”
‘But he was fine just last week.’ I know the look on a mother’s face the moment she is told her child has cancer after a ‘routine’ ER visit for a sore throat.
“Is he going to die? How is this happening? I can’t believe this is happening. This. Isn’t. Happening.”