“I will not be there for the priceless moment my sister becomes a mother. But a piece of me is with her in that car, headed to the hospital. A piece of me that cannot be hidden, or quarantined, or kept out. It’s a sister’s love.”
‘I will not be there for the moment I become an aunt. Today, I’ll wait. I’ll pray. I’ll count the seconds until my sister calls and says, ‘Meet your nephew.’: Aunt-to-be says ‘my love cannot be quarantined’
‘I am a black man who jogs.’: Man urges for compassion in wake of Ahmaud Arbery’s death
“My wife won’t let me out of the house unless I wear enough colorful and ‘innocent’ clothing so as not to appear threatening. I am a good person! But none of this matters, because I am still a black man who jogs.”
To The Dad Who Gracefully Answered Questions About My Disability
“I was rolling around the block when a little boy saw me and fell off his bike. He couldn’t take his eyes off me.”
‘You loved me when I was unlovable. You served when no one else was watching and put our lives before your own. ‘Thank you’ will never be enough.’: Woman pens touching ode to mother
“You were at all my sports events, milestones, graduations, and made sure all my friends were fed. You prayed hard during my rebellious teen years – even when I didn’t know it. You chose to love when it was hard and messy. Your investment in my life was no small thing. In fact, it was everything.”
‘You didn’t choose to be separated from your mommy and lay to wait for a stranger to pick you up, but we, your nurses, will choose you.’: Mom pens appreciation letter to fellow nurses
“We will choose to not just complete our required tasks, but to take every free moment to hold you close. We will choose to pray over your life, for safety and protection wherever you may go. It is our joy to choose you.”
‘I saw an elderly man with his walker at the corner. ‘I’m trying to get to the 99-cent store 1.5 miles away.’ His wife needed some chocolate bars.’: Man shares act of kindness for 93-year-old man
“My wife is 94. Her name is Doris.’ ‘Does she know you’re gone?’ ‘Nope, she probably hasn’t even started looking for me yet.’ I decided to spring into action. I put on my trusty blue gloves and mask, gave him some hand sanitizer, and off we went.”
‘I compared everyone after him to him. That night I whispered, ‘Still feels the same, doesn’t it?’ He nodded his head up and down.’: Woman says ‘he outweighs it all’
“See, I didn’t meet him. He’s the only one I ever want to go through this life with. We may not have forever, but even if we had just one more moment under that sky, I will have won every gamble I’ve ever made.”
How I Used Heartbreak To Utterly Transform My Physical And Mental Health
“I was 26 years old; I was married, and I had found out my husband had cheated on me. We had been together for seven years, married for two, and were in the process of trying for a baby. My whole life completely turned upside down. But because of this experience, it has helped me shape into the person I am today.”
Thanks To Anxiety, I Didn’t Get My Driver’s License Until Age 23
“Don’t let anyone make you feel less for not driving. You will drive, one day, when you are ready.”
‘I used to tell people I didn’t believe in abortions. ‘It’s a baby! Murder!’ Then my boyfriend died. You don’t know until you know.’: Woman struggling with grief says ‘I was faced with an impossible choice only I could make’
“After Jamie died, I found out we were expecting. We were pregnant. Only the ‘we’ was just me now. No one told me not to do it. No one tried to make me feel bad.”
‘I tested positive. The next day, I went into labor. My oxygen levels were dropping. Every time I took a breath, I’d cough over and over.’: Mom wakes from ventilator after battling COVID-19 during labor
“My nurse came into my room and put a chair beside me with tears in her eyes. ‘You’re dying. Do you want to call anyone?’ I sent a text to my family and close friends. They had no clue I was saying goodbye. ‘Your chances of waking up are 1 in 100.’ Before they put me under, I prayed a quick prayer.”
‘A black and white dog came running toward us. The owner was an older gentleman. He’s always alone—no wedding ring.’: Woman reminds us that during difficult times ‘we all want to know we’re not walking alone’
“He has no one to talk or walk with. ‘Hi!’ my daughter said. Some people find this endearing, others are annoyed. The smile that spread across his face… I’ll carry it with me forever.”
‘My husband was shaken. I reached my breaking point. The dam broke loose.’: Woman struggling with mental health says, ‘one of the most loving things we can do is take charge of our health’
“A lot of it’s a blur, but it scared me. I truly believed I would be okay if I could just stay positive and present. I was wrong, I was so wrong. It scared all of us.”
‘I made a choice after he died. I chose to stop being silent about the truth.’: Widow who lost husband to suicide advocates for mental health, ‘I promise, with every heartbeat, there is hope’
“Surviving the suicide of my first love and my kids’ father was a twist I never thought my life would take. But here we are, three years later, still living on after the whiplash of the tragedy which changed our lives forever.”
‘My husband misses every kick. I have to birth and care for this baby by myself.’: Pregnant Air Force paramedic works alone during Covid-19, ‘I swore to make sacrifices to get the mission done’
“A couple of months until the deployment, the news hit. Things were getting bad. My husband wouldn’t have the chance to come home for the birth of his daughter. I didn’t know what it meant for my baby. I still continue to do my job. I made a commitment.”
‘He said, ‘I am her brother.’ It turned my world upside down. ‘Where did I come from?’: Woman adopted by mom’s husband discovers half brother by chance
“One of the people who provided the opportunity for my life to be formed, didn’t want to parent me. Didn’t want to know me.”
‘I’d stepped out of a 5-minute shower. ‘What are those purple things, mama?’ Her question stopped me in my tracks.’: Mom says ‘you’d never be the mother you are today without each tear in your roadmap’
“They were always something I had tried to hide. I tried my best to explain them to her curious 5-year-old heart. Her big, wet hug let me know that although her age only equaled the number of fingers on her tiny hands, she understood.”
‘The first thing I heard was, ‘If she survives, she’s losing all of her limbs.’ I let her go. I’d rather live a lifetime of pain than have her here selfishly.’: Mom says ‘I have never felt more like a mom than I do after losing Kinsley’
“I let her go. That all sounded like a pretty sh*tty existence, right? Then they proceeded to say she had a stroke. As I watched my daughter die, all I wanted was to trade places with her. I wanted to take the pain away. So, I let her go.”
‘The nurse said the word ‘fetal demise’ and my heart stopped. I was disgusted with myself. ‘If you leave, we’ll call it an Against Medical Advice Discharge.’: Mom births NICU warrior amid pandemic
“They refused to allow my husband back upstairs after he got off work, saying my unit didn’t count as a maternity unit. He flipped out. I cried and hid in the dark for two days. I let my husband go. What kind of mother was I to put her life at risk? I finally understood what it meant to give up anything to keep my family safe.”
‘Last night, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I didn’t expect it. I haven’t hugged my mom!’: Woman struggling with anxiety says ‘what I’ve got going on is so enough right now’
“I parked my tired butt on the couch, overindulged in some sweets, and started to cry. I can barely wife and mom. Last night, it hit me like a ton of bricks. ALL OF THIS. I haven’t hugged my mom!”
‘He said, ‘I’m done. I’ve fallen out of love with you.’ I was 6 months pregnant with our child.’: Woman survives depression, ‘This boy has made me feel worthy of love’
“My ex said, ‘Ending a relationship is not a good enough reason to be diagnosed with PTSD.’ I had dark thoughts of not wanting to be here anymore. Nothing will ever compare to someone choosing not to love you anymore when you need their love and support the most.”
‘I wonder how this man could ever love me. The guilt of having a cleaning lady makes me feel like a pathetic human being.’: Mom struggling with anxiety says ‘you never know who is desperately kicking beneath the surface’
“If I wanted to impress a crowd, I could. I’ve got my ducky little life put together. At home, my children are laughing, my husband is eating a hot dinner, and the floor is tidy and clean. Right beneath the surface, hidden right before your eyes, is someone desperately trying to stay afloat.”
‘Sweetheart, you’re going to get through this.’ The smiling eyes behind your goggles and N-95 masks will stay with me forever.’: Woman pens love letter to nurses who helped her battle COVID-19
“She was the ICU nurse who got stuck with the COVID-19 patient. I don’t know how many hours I spent staring at my oxygen on the monitor, willing it to rise. All I wanted was one breath. Still, she showed up, with grace and humor. I will never forget that sacrifice.”
‘That night led to a heated conversation. She finally looked at me and said, ‘What do you need?’: Couple struggling with new normal says ‘we must take care of each other’
“She was fried. She hadn’t slept much. I felt invisible. She looked at me and said, ‘This isn’t you, or the parent you want to be, so you need to tell me what you need or snap out of it.’ We sat in that uncomfortable place for a good 45 minutes.”
‘He watches you mop floors only to have tiny footprints run right through them. He watches you pick up toys only to have them poured out again.’: Mom says ‘keep showing up, because He sees’
“Even though it’s hard, and even though you’re tired, keep pressing on. Keep showing up. Because He’s watching and He never leaves.”