“My feelings about girls weren’t going away, no matter how much I prayed to God. When I’d have to go to church or school, I’d be reminded I was going to go to hell for my thoughts and feelings.”
‘I felt like I couldn’t leave. Like only sinners left. That God wouldn’t love me if I left.’: Young, queer woman details leaving toxic church culture
‘My whole body hurt every day. I could barely bend down.’: Mom shares journey with Rheumatoid Arthritis, POTS, Lupus
“They couldn’t find Luke’s heartbeat for several minutes. I started to go in and out of consciousness. Before they could even put the partition up, they had begun a crash vertical C-section.”
‘What will you tell your son?’ While posed as a threat, it holds a sentiment this chapter taught me. My truth.’: Divorcee goes on emotional self-love journey
“As much as I tried not to let marriage and motherhood consume me, they did. With each immeasurable compromise, parts of me were lost. It happened slowly, over time, and I didn’t catch this until it was too late. Until I looked in the mirror and didn’t recognize who I was.”
‘By the time I came out, I was 41, married almost 21 years, and full of guilt and shame.’: Woman shares journey accepting her sexuality, embracing vulnerability
“It was an unlikely love story, if only because neither of us had ever dreamed of any other life than the one we’d each had as straight, married, small-town, hockey moms.”
‘Jeffery was where he belonged and I wouldn’t give him up for anything. He’ll never be hurt by anyone ever again.’: Widow finalizes adoption of nephew with Shaken Baby Syndrome
“Jeffery will always struggle to catch up with others his age, but I will be right here pushing him to be all he can be. Jeffery is the best of us all and deserves the world.”
‘They didn’t stay because he was ‘lifeless,’ leaving Jeffery with the nurses and machines for company. I knew I had to be there for him.’: Aunt details caring for Shaken Baby Syndrome survivor
“The second we got off the elevator my heart dropped to my feet. I wasn’t ready for what I was about to see. We walked only a few hundred feet but it seemed like miles. I remember the smell of saline and alcohol as if I was there. The beeping and the sounds of the machines working to keep my nephew alive still haunt my dreams.”
An Autism Diagnosis At 35 Inspired Her To Create Change: ‘I’m Already Dispelling Stereotypes Left By Neurotypical Professionals’
“In April of 2015, I was diagnosed, and it was the day my life truly began. Everything fell into place, and I finally had the validation I needed to feel safe and comfortable in my own skin.”
‘I didn’t think I could get any better than him, and he made sure I believed that.’: Aboriginal woman shares inspiring story escaping poverty, domestic violence
“I completely fell in love with the gym and how it made me feel like I had control and power over something for the first time in my life. I was addicted to getting better physically and mentally.”
‘Dating a coworker with 6-year-old twins was very scary to him, understandably. But he was falling in love.’: Mom shares sweet love story, blended family journey, desire to adopt
“I was walking down the hallway at the office the day after our first date (and kiss!) and thought about Chris and skipped. Like, legit, on one foot, in the air, skipped. I knew Chris was special and I liked him, but skipping? I was in trouble.”
‘My daughter would have died a traumatic death, and I might not have survived if I’d miscarried.’: Mom discusses importance of abortion rights
“Protecting a woman’s autonomy, her legal right to control her body, is imperative. I could have been a contributing statistic to our growing maternal mortality rate.”
‘If we’d said no to this journey she’d be dead. Please know your YES matters to the life of an orphan.’: Couple compelled by faith pursue international, special needs adoptions
“The faces of the remaining orphans looked through the rod iron gate, waving goodbye with sad faces. Many of them will never experience the love of a family. It changed our hearts dramatically, and we knew we would adopt again.”
‘I’m tired of adoption being used by the pro-life movement as a substitute for abortion when there are 400,000 kids in foster care.’: Adoptee speaks out about overturn of Roe v. Wade
“Please do not put words in our mouths. We are here, and we have opinions of our own. Do not diminish our voices to, ‘At least your mom chose life.'”
‘I’ve always felt like everyone else was given an instruction manual to life, but not me.’: Autistic student shares diagnosis, unmasking journey
“‘Why don’t you do something normal for once?’ They would pretend to be interested in what I was doing but then talk to me like a baby and leave to go laugh with their friends. All of this was really confusing at the time, and I’m only just starting to realize how awful some of these people actually were.”
‘I let go of my shame and the whole world opened up for me.’: Pansexual, gender-fluid individual shares self-acceptance journey
“My love is not a cage. My love is about freedom. My love does not obligate you to anything, and that has been one of the biggest blessings I have received in the queer community.”
Mexican Dad’s Traditional Slow-Cooked Pork Carnitas
“I only saw my abuela a handful of times, and I never had the chance to meet my abuelo. In a way, cooking my dad’s recipe for carnitas makes me feel close to them. It’s part of my heritage.”
‘All I could do when I was in his office was cry and beg for a hip replacement.’: Multiple Sclerosis warrior shares journey through misdiagnoses
“Once all my tests came back ‘normal,’ he asked, ‘Does bipolar run in your family?’ I was so defeated and felt I needed to swear off doctors altogether. Sadly, swearing off doctors doesn’t make symptoms go away.”
After Losing Her Entire Life’s Memories, This Woman Decides To Live A Life Of Passion And Inspiration
“I believe finding purpose in the pain was where my new life began. I was able to start over when I stopped feeling sorry for myself and started exercising!”
This Is My Story Of Having Alopecia And Alopecia Not Having Me
“I prayed for strength and posted the first picture. My phone began to go crazy with all of the likes, hearts, messages, congratulations, praises, and thank you’s from both women and men.”
Kids With ‘Show Up’ Parents Become ‘Show Ups’ Themselves
“My dad was my Show Up guy. When he had a stroke a few weeks ago, he was met with a Show Up daughter.”
‘Despite appearing to be a stage-loving, attention-hogging, enthusiastic extrovert, the truth is quite the opposite.’: Woman shares realizations about being a ‘closet introvert’
“I wouldn’t blink an eye if told I had to get on stage in front of hundreds of people and perform. I’d do it in a heartbeat, and do it enthusiastically. But put me in a room with the same people and ask me to mingle, and I’d want to crawl into a hole and hide.”
‘I was so depressed I spent 5 days in the psych ward. My husband promised he’d be there for me, but that wasn’t the case when I came home.’: Divorcee candidly shares healing, self-love journey
“About 6 months into my pregnancy, I noticed a shift in my relationship with my husband. He came to me and told me he was unhappy. It rocked my world and for the first time in a long time, I dipped into a depression.”
‘I could not breathe, could not stop crying. ‘We will never have a baby.’: Couple share emotional adoption story after taxing 11-year infertility journey
“My sister called me crying. ‘I am so sorry, this should’ve been you.’ She was pregnant without trying at 43. We were the damaged couple and that sucked.”
‘What’s the best thing that ever happened to me? Easy. Getting cancer.’: Cancer patient shares beautiful love story, self discovery
“I was at the peak of what I assumed would be the rest of my life as a young creative in Toronto. Then, I started blowing up like Violet in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The next thing I knew, I was under the disco-ball surgical light in the operating room, counting down from ten.”
‘You’ve got to see this!’ A swirl of total disbelief mixed with absolute knowing coursed through my veins.’: Widow details signs received from late husband
“When he sends a sign, it’s like he was just in the room, his 100-watt smile beaming bright as he dropped off the gift himself.”
‘I was the quiet kid eager to get out of that small town to a more diverse place where I wouldn’t be so different.’: Legally blind trans man with albinism pursues photography career
“I was the ‘tomboy’ who always wanted to wear pants and pull my long hair back so I could hide it. I didn’t like the way my clothes fit my body. I grew up desperately trying to fit in and meet people’s standards.”