Love What Matters

‘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.”

‘Do I belong here? Am I wanted?’ Like many adoptees, I fell prey to identity issues.’: Writer shares how being a transracial adoptee influences her life and art

“Writing finally began the journey of coming to terms with my identity issues and not letting it consume me.”

Grieving Girlfriend Raises Over $15k For Brain Cancer Research With DIY Jewelry After Losing Partner To Tumor

“When I was 19 years old, I met my first love Jake. And at 24 years old, I stood by his hospital bed as he tragically passed away from brain cancer.”

I Fell In Love With The Bodyguard Hired To Protect Me From My Ex, Now We’ve Been Together 13 Years

“Even in your darkest times, there is always a light.”

‘I thought stepping away from that train was the hardest thing I ever had to do. Burying my husband was.’: Mom details family healing journey after losing husband to alcoholism

“Some days I’m not really sure if I killed my husband or not. I certainly have been accused of it by a handful of people. Family members and close friends have said painful things like, ‘You left him when he needed you most,’ or, ‘He gave up the moment you kicked him out.'”

‘I stole, was suspended from school, lied to people to make my life more interesting, and stopped caring.’: Woman with late autism diagnosis addresses ableism

“Ableism is like everyone grew wings except you. They became so used to having wings they stopped building stairs and elevators. No one believes you can’t fly, so they refuse to accommodate — asking if you deserve it and complaining it’s too expensive.”

‘My mom was told I’d never have a normal life. I was never going to have kids and would be deaf by 16.’: Woman with Osteogenesis Imperfecta defies odds to have miracle baby boy

“I still could barely move. ‘What on earth was she thinking having a baby?’ None of it mattered to me. I was too busy in love with my little miracle.”

‘She has her differences, but she is still our little girl.’: Mom shares daughter’s rare Nager Syndrome diagnosis journey

“How could this be happening when everything had been so normal for the last 34 weeks? Concerned. That word still haunts me. We were almost done with the pregnancy, and to just find out something was abnormal was tough to process.”

‘After going through that miscarriage, I resolved to never ‘try’ or even pray to have another baby ever again.’: Miscarriage survivor welcomes rainbow twins, one with Down Syndrome

“’What if no one accepts our babies?’ Mark looked me right in the eye and said, ‘WE will accept our babies! We will love them just like we would any other baby, and Lyndi will love them both just as much. This is our little family. They will be perfect!’”

‘Life was fun until my mother passed away. Suddenly, at 11, I had to care for my 4 younger siblings.’: Abuse survivor shares foster care experience, POTS diagnosis

“I received my 11th concussion playing volleyball. Previously, I had 10 concussions from child abuse. My comorbidities and symptoms increased to the point I had to take mandatory bed rest.”