“Mom would look down the table at them and you could almost feel the sadness as she went back to eating her breakfast. She knows what laughter is. She also knows she no longer understands what brings that wonderful sound to others.”
‘She is smiling while digging in her heels. I try. My brother tries. Dad does not try. He is tired. He is waiting. He has run out of words.’
‘Thursday started off like any other day. But by bedtime, I was a mom of 3 little tired souls.’
“I was single and 27 when the tug of foster care came.”
I Don’t Want To Get Over My Grief, And I Shouldn’t Have To
“When he died, I as so angry about his death and so frustrated with some people that I actually envisioned myself at his funeral turning them away if they showed up.”
‘We sat at our kitchen table making a list titled, ‘How to spend $25,000!’: Couple adopts baby girl thanks to game show contestant earnings
“On a whim, he filled out the application to be a contestant on the show. Several rounds of interviews later, and he was flying out to Los Angeles to have a final interview and find out if he would get to play for $25,000. Well, he did! And he won! Aaron’s phone rang 3 weeks later. ‘Holly, I got THE call. They have a match for us. When can you come home? They want to talk to both of us.’”
‘At 11, I had one foot on Earth and one in Heaven. While other girls complained of their periods, I longed for one. My body was a ticking time-bomb.’: Youngest female to ‘undergo hysterectomy’ embarks on adoption journey
“In my 20s, I watched all my friends marry and have babies. I saw their lives unfolding while mine was stuck. I felt like guys could somehow sense my ‘barrenness’. Like somehow other girls gave off some mysterious appeal I couldn’t. I knew infertility would one day rear its ugly head. I was an old soul trapped in a young body.”
‘I had finally been found out. The wails coming from my hysterical sister’s mouth were horrific. I had just confessed my truth.’
“There was another unfamiliar feeling sprouting through the cracks of my bruised and battered psyche. That feeling was hope. I didn’t have to be this monster anymore. I didn’t have to hustle to find my fix and I didn’t ever have to use again if I didn’t want to, I finally had a choice.”
Dear Son, I Could Have Never Predicted How Hard The Drive Away From Your College Would Be
“I decided to write Peyton a letter before he left. I needed to get out all of the things I wanted to say to him – the good and the bad. I’m sorry we took the easy way out. I wish we would have fought harder for you.”
‘The grocery store. For most people, it’s a place of necessity. For a grieving parent, it can be an emotional gauntlet.’
“I notice the cashier’s name is Grace. I smile because I love seeing any part of my daughter’s name. It’s like a little wink from her and I know she’s okay. ‘How are you doing today?’ the cashier asks. ‘I’m good,’ I say, only half lying.”
‘On Monday my son should have started kindergarten, but he never will. As back to school happens, consider those around you.’
“He will never bring home homework. He will never miss the bus. He will never forget his lunch money. We will never meet his teacher. We miss them all. Our son never finished PreK.”
‘I couldn’t help but stand there and gaze at her with my own two eyes. She’s perfect when she does nothing at all.’
“She laid there with her AC/DC shirt on, and her new hair color she trusted me to put in her hair. It reminded me why I loved her so much.”