Love What Matters

‘Why don’t I see the heartbeat?’ The room went blurry, everything was in slow motion. ‘Your baby died.’: Mom battles miscarriage, becomes pregnant with rainbow baby, ‘I could never replace you’

“I was at the gym when I got the call it was probably not a viable pregnancy. So, to take my frustration out, I went and lifted as heavily as I possibly could. The following week, I went in for blood work to make sure my numbers went to zero. When I got home, my husband and I went for a walk with Michael, and then the doctor called me. My numbers didn’t go to zero, they more than doubled.”

‘My mug shot was on the news. ‘I’ve been using drugs and I’m in trouble. I don’t want to live.’ The nurse said, ‘You’re in the right place.’: Woman overcomes addiction, ‘I help people like me’

“I contemplated if I was in love with the pills and white powder he seemed to always have or if I loved him. Any loyalty I had eventually shifted to the drugs.”

‘One day you’ll find the gift in all this.’ She had the audacity to put a positive spin on my crisis. I’d been suffering for months.’: Woman shares how she ‘finds the gifts’ in life

“The system isn’t perfect. Gifts aren’t always easy or life-changing or neatly packaged. Little things like spending more time outdoors with my kids during the pandemic can be a gift within a tragedy. I’ve also had hardships that didn’t seem to yield any gifts.”

‘We’ll need swings for two babies.’ I told my daughter, ‘Not this time.’ Then my doctor whispered, ‘You won’t believe this.’: Woman gives birth to preemie rainbow twins

“My doctor scanned back and forth. ’There’s two.’ I looked at my daughter, who had her arms folded. She said, very matter-of-factly, ‘I told you.’”

‘Why adoption?’ Our answer was, ‘Why not?’ Our parents disapproved, but we knew we had each other.’: Same-sex couple pursue adoption, ‘We couldn’t be happier’

“We met when online dating was considered ‘unusual.’ We were two black women from conservative households. We made the life-changing decision to embrace the unknown.”

‘I’ll just be a fat mom.’ Over 14 years, I had 5 more babies. Now what? I knew I wasn’t finished.’: Mom of 8 transforms body, ‘Be PROUD of what your body can do’

“I felt so proud but looking back, it was just sad. Unfortunately, it was the norm for girls my age.”

‘She’s a preemie! She’ll catch up.’ I felt this mama bear roar deep within me. Autism isn’t a dirty word.’: Mom celebrates daughter’s autism, ‘For us, life is more like a dance than a race’

“I line up rocks with my daughter at the park instead of watching her play with peers. She is a CHILD, not a milestone checklist.”

‘Her brain barely exists. Enjoy her while you can.’ I pinched my arm. I wanted to wake up from the nightmare.’: Special needs dad recalls daughter’s journey, ‘Her spirit is contagious’

“At the foot of the crib, I saw something I’d never forget for the rest of my life. The doctor had written, ‘There’s no chance of having a meaningful life.’ I was crushed.”

‘This is what the brink of 35 looks like. A D*MN imperfect woman, who likes this whole ‘aging’ thing.’: Mom shares thoughts on ‘life-changing experience’ of aging

“It looks like looking into a dirty mirror, taking a silent selfie I’ll surely put a filter on later, flashing a goofy-*ss grin, feeling proud I ran two miles, mowed the lawn, and got a shower in while the kids are at grandma’s. Then we remember, alas, it’s only Tuesday, and though the kiddies have a day off of school tomorrow, it’s back to work, the grind, and the monotony a typical Monday through Friday delivers.”

‘If I make her breakfast at 3 a.m. and wash her hair, maybe I can save her!’ I won’t tell her yet.’: Daughter takes care of mom before she passes, ‘I never gave up on you’

“‘Why me?’ she’d ask. But I was 22 and very much alive, how could I know? ‘We aren’t done fighting.’”

‘You need to prepare your son.’ I wasn’t ready for that. I fought attached to an IV pole. I wanted to LIVE.’: Mom with Cystic Fibrosis receives miracle drug, ‘We won the life lottery’

“My mama bear instincts told me to find another way. I told anyone who would listen what my dream for survival was. I fought until I required full-time oxygen.”

‘I decided I would start 2020 with a fresh new vibe. That’s when I met Matt, hanging alongside 4 of his buddies at Home Depot.’: Woman shares hilarious anecdote of dating during quarantine, ‘It was love at first sight’

“Matt (short for Matthew McConachey Bones, yes…’jokingly’ based off of Matthew McConaughey) was perfect. He listened as I praised my own cooking skills, didn’t add to the laundry pile or drive my car around. He wasn’t interested in seeing other people or chatting to girls late at night. He just was. I just was.”

‘My mom is sick and can’t look after me.’ When someone asks, ‘What does adoption mean?’ he says, ‘It means I stay with my mama and dad forever.’: Couple foster 15 kids, adopt, ‘No child should go without love’

“The judge said, ‘When I stamp this, he is legally your son.’ I’ve never seen my husband cry like he did then. No child should ever go without love and safety. No child should ever have to worry about anything other than just being a kid.”

‘I don’t know why you’re in pain.’ I had already miscarried, I knew this wasn’t normal. Had I not been persistent, I would have bled out.’: Young woman shares miscarriage grief and ectopic pregnancy, ‘I hope my story can help someone else’

“A few months later, we found out we were pregnant again. It was a day full of pure happiness, and we knew this time it would work out. A week or so later I started having some pain and concerns. We were told it was another miscarriage. Five days after being told we miscarried, the pain was back and so incredibly severe. My OB said, ‘Take some Motrin, and hopefully it would go away.'”

‘How can you hurt yourself when you’re pregnant?’ I wasn’t the mother I dreamed of being. I was scared, not excited.’: Woman recovers from self-harm addiction for son, ‘We’re not alone’

“My addiction was the only thing bringing me peace. Keeping it a secret made me feel stronger. I felt like I was going to let my son down before I even had him.”

‘We have some kids that might be a good fit.’ Did she say KIDS? As in plural? We became an instant family.’: Foster parents welcome sibling group, ‘We plan to spend forever loving them’

“A car pulled up. I held my breath and watched as the 2-year-old, in an act of pure bravery, walked by herself up our steps. She was crying. I didn’t know what to do, so I just opened my arms.”

‘I was alone in a dark delivery room. My husband called out, ‘Jill?’ His tone told me to brace myself.’: Mom births baby with Down syndrome, ‘She’s absolutely perfect’

“I had every negative thought you can think of. ‘Will she be okay? Will our lives revolve around hospital visits now?’ The little girl I envisioned was fading away.”

‘I’ve been a mom for 27 years. I still have no idea what I’m doing, but God does.’: Mom says ‘a family that prays together, stays together’

“I’ve watched him carry all the slack and fill in every gap as I’ve fumbled my way through the heart rush and heartache of raising three kids. When we pray, time seems to stand still. All the noise in the world fades, and we are able to experience the fullness of God’s abundant love.”

‘She’s been exposed to drugs.’ The last thing we needed was MORE kids. I accepted the challenge’: Mom of 4 opens home to foster kids, ‘It’s who we are now’

“The truth is, I needed another kid like I needed a hole in the head. Every place I looked, I would see something about foster care. God was trying to tell me something.”

‘I just got followed on Instagram by my high school sweetheart.’ I always thought if we were meant to be, we’d come back to each other.’: Widow reconnects with first love, ‘Love found a way to win’

“He told me he loved me and always would. I told him goodbye and to never call me again. He knew better. In my heart, so did I. In just those few moments it felt, yet again, like our connection hadn’t changed at all, even though it had been 12 years. One night out of the blue, around 3:00 p.m. I called him and said, ‘Dinner tonight? I’m ready.’ ‘I’ll see you at 8,’ he said without hesitation.”

‘She bawled, ‘It’s always been just you and me.’ She fell in love with her brother the second she saw him.’: Woman adopts at 50 years old, ‘My heart was ready’

“A young woman had recently found out she was expecting. She wanted to meet me. ‘Do you know how old I am?’ God has a real sense of humor!”

‘Someone commented on my postpartum appearance. I cried instantly. You have a choice, every day. Will you heal or will you hurt?’: New mom receives hurtful comment, ‘It did a number on my heart’

“It did a number on my already-raw heart. A week later, I was FaceTiming my mother-in-law. I kept the camera angled towards my husband Luke—careful to ensure no one caught a glimpse of my healing body I was suddenly insecure about. During the call, I was thrust into the camera view.”

’26 years ago, he was laid into my arms for the first time. Love settled on me like a weighted blanket. I prayed for his health and happiness with every inch of my heart space.’: Mom says ‘the dreams we dare to dream for our children really do come true’

“Last weekend, we met on the dance floor for our mother-son dance at his wedding. This time when our eyes met, time stopped and his entire childhood flashed before me—every milestone and precious memory rose to the surface of my heart, slaying me to the core. Just yesterday, I was rocking him to sleep.”

‘Mismatched socks. In a world filled with chaos, mismatched socks add joy to my day.’: Mom urges ‘there are bigger battles’

“Keeping track of those stubborn mates for four girls is near impossible. Actually, it IS an impossible task, and I’m not willing or ready to even begin to tackle it.”