“There’s been a shift in the world, in the way in which we treat one another. No longer do we see the common threads that bind us.”
‘I see people making grand declarations on their Facebook pages: ‘If you voted for So-So, unfriend me now!’: Woman urges ‘acknowledge differences and let love lead the way’
‘We left home on our bikes and didn’t return until the street lights came on. Growing up as a kid in the 80s totally prepared me for this.’: Mom encourages kids to have 80s-style independence
“When I was a kid in the 80s, we lived a very different life. We had lives our parents never really knew about. I didn’t grow up with someone micro-managing my childhood.”
‘He looked at me and said, ‘When are you going to adopt me?’: Stepmom shares emotional adoption of teen son
“My heart nearly exploded. I started to cry and said, ‘Lets do it!’ I vowed to step up and parent a little boy, but truth is, he taught me more then I could ever teach him.”
‘Starved for love, I made disastrous decisions. Eventually, I turned to food. I weighed in at 391 pounds, my body just as unhealthy as my soul.’: Survivor details battle with demons, ‘I am a beautiful disaster’
“Frozen in fear, you lay in your bed with that twisted knot in your stomach. There is always the question: who protected the little girl with the big, brown eyes? The answer? A resounding no one. I was a little girl.”
‘What the hell did she leave on my truck?’ This muscle-bound man was barreling towards me.’: Woman finds new purpose and true love delivering ‘Love Notes’ to veterans
“‘There is not a man alive who is going to understand what it is you do.’ I wish my mother could have seen the man I’d been praying for, the man she said did not exist, show up. It wasn’t an accident.”
‘Pregnant at 18, I heard, ‘You’re young, you’ll bounce back!’ It became etched in my mind. Stretch marks and loose skin? BAD.’: Mom learns to cherish postpartum body, ‘This body is my home’
“I tried all of the creams. For years, I wore only high-rise pants and would turn away from friends when we were getting dressed. I hated what I saw in the mirror. But one day, I looked down at my tummy and saw the ripples, the marks, the stretched belly button. And I smiled. This body is my home.”
‘Can you bring Layla to meet her new mom tomorrow?’ Never in their lives have the boys cried so hard, so long.’: Mom changes her mind, gives foster dog forever home, ‘She will always be right here’
“My husband and I ever-so-reluctantly agreed to foster a dog. And foster we meant! Then, we got the call. ‘Can you bring Layla to meet her new mom tomorrow?’ New mom? Tomorrow? I did not like the sound of either of those things. She still belonged to my family.”
‘How could someone do that?’ I was forced to become a single mom after a friend saw my husband with a married woman I knew.’: Woman marries dream man after divorce, ‘He is proof everything happens for a reason!’
“I wrote a list of things down I wanted in a man and circled the list in prayer. Two months after I finally stopped fighting for my old life, I met Ryan. ‘If you want to date me, you have to date my daughter.’ I was tough. I pushed back. I shared the good, the bad, the ugly. Without question, without a pause, without a doubt, he chose me. And he chose my daughter, too.”
‘Your girl looks sleepy,’ I knew something was wrong when a doctor, not my normal midwife, came in.’: Scary birth of miracle baby born during Covid-19 leaves mom ‘overwhelmed with gratitude’
“When she was born, everyone in the room gasped. Our rainbow baby became our miracle baby.”
‘I should be there.’ I saw them hanging out on social media. All I wanted to know is where I came from.’: After rejections by biological family, adoptee says ‘your family is who you want them to be’
“I had very little information in my adoption paperwork left by my biological mother. I wanted to try to connect with my biological family. My adoptive mom ended up finding my older sister. She was in shock, as they didn’t know about me at all.”
‘The doctor paused at the end of the bed. ‘Uhhh…it’s a boy that looks a lot like a girl!’ My husband took a closer look. ‘OH MY GOD, IT’S A GIRL!!!’: Mom births baby with cleft lip, ‘She is my hero’
“We cried loud and hard and basked in that moment of complete shock and joy. The room seemed so loud, when suddenly somewhere in the room I hear the words, ‘What about the lip…’ and then deafening silence. I shot straight up, picked her up, and flipped her over. The world stopped. ‘Babe look….’ My husband turned pale.”
‘He was missing life. Strong Papa, who saved the day. My daughter wanted a tattoo like his.’: 15-year-old Granddaughter gets tribute tattoo for Papa after he passes from cancer
“When my daughter came off the field, I told her Papa wasn’t there to see her sing. She cried so hard. She knew how much he wanted to be there. It broke her heart.”
‘I searched through his phone after the constant lies. Now, my heart no longer races every time a phone ‘dings.’: Woman says ‘there is a person out there who will treat you like treasure’
“As trash, I questioned my self worth. I lost my spark, my wit, my humor, and my way of life. Then I met my husband. My spark started to return.”
‘He met me at the door. ‘Close your eyes.’ I could tell by the eagerness in his voice, he had something delightful to show me.’: Widow recalls late husband’s emotional birthday for daughter
“He led me into the living room. I found myself dripping in anticipation. He took my hand and shuffled me to the center of the room. ‘Okay, open!’ he exclaimed. I didn’t realize I was crying until I reached up to wipe my face.”
‘Call 9-1-1!’ He started checking for unlocked doors. ‘Let’s break a window.’ I could see desperation on his face.’: Kind strangers help a woman after seizures cause terrifying car crash
“’Oh no, please don’t let that car tumble over the bridge!’ I said. The older gentleman looked my way. ‘Let’s break a window,’ he said. He searched his vehicle to find something with no luck. I looked around and now saw a huge semi slow and pull over on this tiny shoulder too. A SEMI! As I drove away, I knew I had made a difference that day.”
‘I noticed a man going through the garbage. ‘Can I buy you something to eat?’ I got out of my car, my heart hurting for him.’: Man shares act of kindness for homeless man battling cancer
“He broke down crying. ‘You don’t understand. I prayed God would send someone to buy me a hot meal today…and he sent you!’ I was speechless. He lifted up his shirt and pointed to a huge mass poking out from his stomach. He didn’t have much time left.”
‘Let him be a kid. Stop trying to force medicine down his throat.’ I felt like I failed him.’: Woman has son with ADHD, daughter with Down syndrome, ‘Special needs do not have to be scary’
“’They won’t give you a diagnosis. You’re wasting your time.’ My heart sank. Two children with special needs? I barely made it to my car before I burst into tears.”
‘First they crawl, then walk. You delight in the progress. And then, for the first time, he calls you, ‘Mama.’: Mom says ‘the growing up is so very beautiful and heartbreakingly painful’
“All the other firsts eclipse as you hear that sweet word. And you know, without a doubt, he knows exactly what it means.”
‘Every time Rich comes to deliver, I’m in nice clothes. As his eyes climbed up, he stopped at my chest and looked away.’: Mom suffers hilarious wardrobe malfunction during delivery, ‘There were two dark dots staring at him’
“I heard a knock, and I knew it was Rich. My beloved. Bringer of dreams. Rich gave me his million dollar smile then the color drained from his face. I shut the door, go to the mirror to check out the damage. There were two dark dots staring at him.”
‘Mama, will that happen to me? I have black skin too.’ He wasn’t supposed to see the news clip, but there it was, out in the open.’: Woman urges ‘talk about racism, even if it’s uncomfortable’
“The news was on when two pairs of small feet walked into the room. A lanky 10-year-old and pint-sized 6-year-old boys. They caught a glipse of George Floyd. The image of a police officer with his knee on a Black man’s neck, squeezing the life out of him.”
‘My stomach was ‘without signs of life.’ I was uncontrollably weeping. The thing I was meant to do, I couldn’t.’: Woman recalls infertility and adoption journey, ‘Our world changed forever’
“I had pain no one could identify with no hope of healing. A crawling on my hands and knees kind of pain. I felt forgotten.”
‘He never complained; he just chugged along. It wasn’t easy. It almost felt like I was running.’: Wheelchair user with terminal illness thanks friend for his act of kindness
“There are many things I struggle with in regards to living with a terminal illness. Even if I did just a 5k one day, I could knock it off my list and enjoy the experience. Well, I sat on that goal for too long, and it never came to be. Fast forward to today: I came the closest I will to meeting that goal.”
‘Jack went to his classmate’s first birthday party, played with friends, and even sat down to sing before cake.’: Mom of twins learns important lesson, ‘We learned about the magic of autism’
“We began to see glimpses of the life we thought may be ahead for our boys. But then, something clicked. We learned about the magic of autism.”
‘I called the midwife at 4 a.m. She came in and immediately asked, ‘Where is HE from?’ She pointed at my husband.’: Woman in interracial marriage says ‘our story is beautiful, but racism is woven into it’
“I told my friend all about Emmanuel’s amazing qualities and pulled out my phone to show a photo of him. To my dismay she said, ‘Is he poor? Does he live in a mud hut?’ I was completely taken aback. It never crossed my mind others would not be as accepting as I was. Not long after, I left and never returned.”
‘The doctors described it as a ‘fire storm.’ She lost her sight overnight. It stole her spark.’: Woman raises awareness after losing mom to breast cancer, ‘I want my pain to be purposeful’
“She would forget simple, everyday tasks like school pick-up and turning the oven off. I did little to support or ease her recovery. The 13-year-old me had other priorities. The guilt will forever haunt me.”