“‘I don’t deserve to mother him.’ Am I mom or a person? He was too perfect and I was too flawed. I had to forgive myself.’”
‘I’m stuck at my parent’s with a baby I don’t deserve. My 19-year-old body was overwhelmed.’: Mom forgives herself for her past, embraces blended family
‘It’s like being stung by a thousand bees.’ No one knew why I was in pain. And no one knew why the pain was spreading.’: Woman describes journey with Lyme disease, ‘It made me who I am’
“Even a feather-light touch could send me screaming in agony. It felt like I was being stabbed in my spine, over and over again. At a time when I could’ve really used a hug… I couldn’t receive one.”
‘I was terrified of being ‘found out.’ I was taught by my church I wasn’t allowed to love, I was either ‘of God’ or ‘of Satan.’ It nearly cost me my life.’: LGBTQ man shares childhood trauma, homophobic upbringing, ‘We are poisoning a generation’
“At that moment I knew I had made a big mistake. I knew I shouldn’t have been there. I knew it was time for me to go. As I started to look for a way out, I was approached by an older man who said, ‘You look lost.’ In this world, I didn’t have to hide ‘what’ I was. I felt desired, special, and adored.”
‘What you see is what you get. If you only see the world’s problems, THAT’S what you’ll get.’: Woman urges ‘focus on what gives you peace’
“And nothing has been harder than having to try to stay in your lane, live purposefully, mindfully, and with lasting gratitude, during the seemingly never-ending (and, perhaps, disastrous?) year that is 2020.”
‘This is where I snapped the last living photo of my kids.’ You’re not supposed to bury your children. Your kids are supposed to bury you.’: Mom loses kids in car accident, discovers outdated car seat safety laws
“About an hour and a half into our trip, we stopped so Christine could have a smoke break. We pulled into one of those truck areas. This is where I snapped the last living photo of my kids.”
‘Something wrong, dear?’ The price of a turkey was more expensive than she thought. She laid out her coupons, anxiously watching the numbers on the register climb.’: Man recalls Thanksgiving act of kindness
“She counted her money, paused, and let out a heavy sigh. She was $4.00 short. The manager lied, ‘Susan, did you not see the sales signs we put out today? Everyone who buys a fresh turkey gets a free pumpkin pie. Take that pie off her bill, please.'”
‘I’ll be back in two hours. Wait for me.’ I squeeze you one last time, kiss your cheek, tell you I love you, and leave. I hate myself for going. I was supposed to BE THERE.’: Woman shares heartbreaking last days of mother with terminal illness
“This can’t be happening.’ You were supposed to wait for me. I jump out of the still-moving car and start running to the front door. I jump on the bed and cradle your head in my arms and sob something terrible. ‘Please come back! I love you.’ I cry and scream into my pillow after they take you away in that horrible, black body bag.”
‘She scanned my stomach. ‘Congratulations, Mom and Dad! Oh, wait…’ My heart sank. ‘I see three here!’: Couple has triplets, twins through embryo adoption, ‘We’re the lucky ones’
“‘How many embryos did you implant?’ I managed to squeak out, ’Two.’ There, on the screen, we saw THREE flickering heartbeats. It was a one in 10,000 chance.”
‘If she wakes up, she won’t be normal.’ I was alive, but in a coma. Only time would tell.’: Brain injury survivor details sobriety journey, ‘There’s a purpose in it all’
“We’d all been drinking at the beach. I fell to the ground and the person behind me ran over my neck. ‘She might not wake up.’ I had hit rock bottom.”
‘They will fight and argue, but they are forever protectors. Their specific hearts needed one another, and God knew it before I did.’: Mom cherishes sacred bond between siblings
“I planned the age separation between my two kids. I imagined their genders, I played out scenarios. I planned my pregnancy and c-section. And in true God fashion, all MY plans got tossed to the wayside. At the time it felt cruel. Now I know, God’s timing was, and is, perfect.”
‘I can’t go to juvie! You don’t know what they DO to people there!’ She choked out, ‘Will you be my parents?’ We were 23, newly engaged. Already a teenager, we were her only option left.’: Young couple adopt 5 children into ‘forever family’
“When I thought about my future as a quadriplegic, I didn’t think my dream of becoming a husband or dad were going to happen, much less 5 kids before marriage! God brought us these girls for a reason, and I was determined to give them all the love they needed.”
‘I don’t drink any more than my mommy wine friends.’ It was my reward after a hard day. I felt like I earned it.’: ‘Mommy Wine Culture Survivor’ says ‘sobriety was the greatest gift’
“I was the woman in yoga class joking about sweating out the booze. I was the mom who planned pre-drinks. I was also the businesswoman, completely hungover, giving a presentation in heels.”
‘Your baby has a funny eye.’ I looked down and saw it. The folded ear and almond-shaped eyes. The world froze.’: Woman advocates for special needs moms, ‘Our path is unique’
“Our daily lives have an element of ‘extra.’ Extra appointments, extra judgment, extra advocating, extra support. It also comes with extra love.”
‘Try not to cry, you won’t be able to wipe your tears.’ I thought I’d faint from shock. Tears rolled down his face. ‘We’re here now, Pops.’: Woman loses father to COVID-19, ‘We’re never alone’
“We looked like something out of a space movie. Shoe covers, face mask, visor, and two pairs of gloves. ‘There’s nothing more we can do.’ No more miracles. He was gone.”
‘Mama, I don’t want you to be sick.’ It stabbed me in the heart. ‘It’s going to be fixed.’ It was blow after blow.’: Woman battles breast cancer, ‘Tomorrow isn’t promised’
“I get emotional watching mothers with their kids on their wedding days, wondering if I’ll ever get the chance.”
‘Autum, you should do one of these tests!’ When I took this DNA test, I never expected this to be the outcome. ‘Not a DNA match.’ I felt alone, and maybe a little angry.’: Woman takes DNA test, discovers biological dad
“I even had made a joke to my husband, maybe I’ll find some sibling from my dad’s Navy days. This joke is kind of wild now, considering I was the found sibling. I clicked open his high school yearbook records and saw a face looking at me that looked like my 6th grade picture. In this moment, it felt like my heart stopped.”
‘I took comfort in the fact my ugly, clunky ‘frankenboobs’ wouldn’t be with me forever. But, y’all, I am SCARED.’: Cancer fighter prepares for reconstruction surgery, ‘I am MORE than this body’
“I have to face the reality this is the end of the journey. Whatever I wake up to, or whatever I wake up with—that will be my new body. There is no next phase, there is no going back.”
‘We became friends on Facebook and never saw each other again. Until last fall, when they joined us for Thanksgiving.’: Mom shares story of ‘friends who feel like family’
“As she chased behind her new friend, her mother and I struck up a conversation, and at some point she mentioned her daughter’s autism. My daughter was two at the time. I was at the beginning of my suspicions she shared that same diagnosis. This stranger—this mom—was the first person I told.”
‘My child would NEVER act like that, and if they did they wouldn’t get away with it.’ He is NOT misbehaving in these situations, he is trying to COPE.’: Mom shares reality of having a son with autism, ‘His brain just works differently’
“‘He doesn’t have autism, it’s all in your head.’ Please don’t tell me ‘he’s not THAT bad, it’s hardly noticeable, it’s very mild.’ I wouldn’t be surprised if someone suggests an exorcism!”
‘Here we go again.’ Something didn’t look right. I’d seen the screen countless times, but this time, it was different!’: Couple welcomes rainbow twins after 7-year infertility battle
“I felt a gush between my legs. My heart shattered, but I was determined to keep going. I peed on a stick. The faintest line showed up. My heart was beating so fast.”
‘You’re OK now. You’re safe.’ WRONG. They assumed I wanted drugs. ‘We need to start treatment ASAP.’: Woman recovers from addiction, battles Lupus, ‘I CHOOSE not to let life get me down’
“’I can tell by your tears no one has ever believed you, have they?’ I said no. ‘Well, I do.’ I was right, and now there was evidence.”
‘We got THE CALL. Without a second thought, I said, ‘Yes! A thousand times yes!’ I knew she was meant to be ours.’: Mom of 5 adopts baby with rare case of dwarfism, ‘She has no limits’
“Her legs seemed so weak. ‘They don’t make walkers her size.’ She pulled herself up. Within days, she was taking steps. She’s shown me to not put any limits on her.”
‘You can’t be pregnant…can you?’ I was an 18-year-old with an IUD in cancer remission. My chances after chemo were next to zero. ‘Of course not mom,’ I laughed.’: Teen mom births 1-pound miracle preemie after cancer, preeclampsia battle
“Next thing I know, I’m in the doctor’s office with a positive pregnancy test and a little 10-weeks fetus flickering on the screen. I went to the gynecologist to find my IUD dangling from my cervix. In my heart, I knew this was something special.”
‘If my only option is AA, I guess I’ll drink forever.’ I was just doing what I saw other moms do. I was stuck in a vicious cycle.’: Mom celebrates 3 years sober, ‘You are not alone’
“Alcohol was everywhere in motherhood. The baby showers I attended had mimosa bars, the playdates had wine. I attended a mommy-and-me class with ‘juice boxes’ for the moms. I should have seen the signs.”
‘Oh, you’re gonna need this.’ My friends left gifts for me, all alcohol-related. With those 8 bottles, they unwittingly initiated me into a club.’: Sober mom shares recovery journey
“I received invites for yoga class with mimosas. The moms had Bailey’s in their coffee during our 8 a.m. stroll. Slowly, every connection was associated with alcohol.”