“When I left the library, I had 86 messages. All from my amazing, perfect boyfriend. The charming guy who accused me of cheating. As I left, I could feel someone watching me.”
‘I knew what abusive relationships looked like, this wasn’t it. It took me months to break free from this ‘amazing perfect guy.’
‘I took hostages everywhere I went, and the first one was my grandmother. Loving, kind, and elderly made her the perfect target for my addiction.’
“She gave me a car, a phone, and a bed to sleep in. In return I gave her lies, sleepless nights, and stole everything I possibly could.”
‘We were rushed to ultrasound. ‘Everyone PRAY!’ tumbling out of my mouth as I was wheeled down the corridor. The ultrasound confirmed the doctor’s words. No movement, no pulsing heart.’
“My contractions stopped, and my blood pressure bottomed out. I remember hearing my husband scream my name as I saw the world fade to black.”
Your blood pressure is 4,000 over 80 (I’m not a doctor ok, it’s just really HIGH) and someone says, ‘Good job Momma,’ while some other butthead says, ‘Why do we applaud mediocre parenting?’
“Are you FOR REAL?”
She asked if he was ok and he just yelled, ‘My wife! My wife!’
“I yelled to my husband, ‘I can’t… I can’t…’ I surrendered my exhausted body to the water. It was at that second a complete stranger reached out to me…”
‘Today is my parent’s anniversary. My dad is on hospice with only a short time left from cancer. We set up one last anniversary dinner for them to remember.’
“Their love story is beautiful. But most of all, he taught us all how to live, and now he is showing us all how to die. With grace.”
‘Well y’all, the boyfriend/husband of the girls who did a best friend session decided they wanted to do their OWN best friend session.’
“We all met at Walmart to pick out their overalls. We were rolling we were laughing so hard. Josh said it best .’God is great, beer is good, and we are crazy.'”
‘I was ignorant enough to think a 2-year-old wasn’t going through any trauma by tragically losing both of his parents in a matter of 12 days.’
“In my head, he was young enough that he was completely unaware of what was really happening. I truly believed he would walk into our family and things would go smoothly.”
‘The woman next to me in this photo is the birth mother to 2 of our 3 children. Our relationship is unconventional and odd to most.’
“Pffft. You are effing crazy if you think I’m going to do that. I absolutely will NOT befriend them. It’s unforgivable, inhumane, and downright impossible to forgive ADULTS who do the sort of things that put them in the situations they are in. They don’t deserve my empathy.”
40 years ago my parents were asked if they would have an exchange student. I wonder if they knew the doors it would open to all of us?
“I look back with such wonder and appreciation of who my parents are. I will forever be in awe of the way they live their life.”