“Mama, can’t you see your transformation? I wish those corridors could applaud you. Then you would see the strength you possess. I wish those halls could rock you. To ensure you felt safe and supported. I wish those walls could whisper. So you would know that however your birth played out, you were amazing.”
‘She walks slowly toward labor and delivery, cradling her tight, swollen belly. Life as she knows it will never be the same.’: Woman urges to new moms ‘you are completely enough’
‘No one will let me adopt a baby after what I’ve done.’: Woman gets clean, adopts baby from foster care
“‘This isn’t the way I’m supposed to live my life.’ I wanted so badly to be a mom. ‘Who will ever marry someone like me?’ I remember thinking, ‘Who would let me raise their baby? I am an awful human being.’”
‘I got home and literally nothing from the grocery list I gave him was in the bags. Not a damn thing.’: Woman urges ‘show your partner grace through the struggles’
“Marriage isn’t always two people who are on the same team. We are not always on the same page, and we do not always like each other. But we made a vow to make this work, and that is what we are doing.”
‘He must have been a real keeper for you to honor him this way.’ She responded, ‘Anyone can say they love you, dear. But your true love will show it in a million little ways.’: Elderly widow explains life with ‘true love’
“She said, ‘Love is a person who’d get up early, even though he’d worked late, to start your car on a bitter cold morning. It’s a person who will gently take your hand in his and say, ‘I can’t live this life without you.’ I met Arthur and I saw what real love looked and felt like. It’s not always pretty. Sometimes it’s downright messy, but it’s always real.'”
‘Is he ok?’ I was afraid to say the words. I never told a soul about my feelings, not even my husband.’: Mom births son with Down syndrome, ‘I am so thankful for his perfect 47 chromosomes’
“I always imagined this big strong guy like my husband – a star football player and maybe a military pilot. But after Gabe’s diagnosis, suddenly those dreams came crashing down. I worried if Gabe would ever drive, get married, or just end up living with us forever.”
‘I was sitting on a dirty mattress on the floor of our break room weeping, covered in 3 layers of PPE.’: Nurse says ‘thank you all so much for loving me during this time’
“I am not a hero. I am a nurse. This is what we’re made to do. I fully believe God places us on this earth to love and serve others, and I am so grateful I was able to serve in this capacity.”
‘You give my kids something to look forward to every day, a smile from someone outside these four walls. Has anyone asked you, ‘How are you holding up?’: Mom pens appreciation letter to teachers
“I see your kids in the background during your one-one-one chats with my sons. Yours are working with headphones or playing in the backyard while you give my kids the attention they need. My little stinkers love you more than you’ll ever discern from their random, wandering stories on Zoom.”
‘These new dates aren’t what I had.’ Phoning a friend at 3:22 a.m. after 27 glasses of wine is impractical.’: Widower and single dad urges ‘YOU are in charge of YOUR happiness’
‘DO NOT try to fill that void with another person. DO NOT assume for one second someone else in your life right now is going to replace what you had and wish to have again.”
‘With all the mechanics out there, how do we know which ones we can trust?’: 7 Red Flags For Bad Mechanics
“Not a car-savvy person? Mechanics may just exploit this to their advantage.”
Dear Students: Be Proud Of Your Post-Graduation Plan, No Matter Your Path
“Last night, I asked my student what he plans to do post-graduation. He said, ‘I’m just going to community college.’ My heart sank. He’s worked his butt off for 4 years and isn’t proud.”
‘I got a message from someone with fat loss pills saying, ‘You could benefit from these.’: Woman with hyperthyroidism says ‘I’m perfectly imperfect, and that’s okay’
“Growing up in the ‘picture perfect’ era was mentally draining. I started to develop early and was wearing a training bra by third grade. I was called ‘a big ugly giant.’ It sent me even deeper into a downward spiral.”
‘We are sick and tired of this and sick and tired of each other. And yet, I’m nowhere near ready to leave my cocoon.’: Woman urges ‘hold onto hope’ during pandemic
“If you’re anxious to move on, but terrified what that looks like. If you want nothing more than to resume life, but are worried it might be too soon. If you are craving guidance and direction, but feel lost and unseen. There is only one thing we can do.”
‘She got hold of my phone. I’m scrolling through my phone and see that she took pictures of me without me realizing it.’: Mom struggling with mental health says ‘you are enough just as the mom you already are’
“As I type this, I’m sitting on the potty. Was that TMI? Ugh, I’m sorry. My four-year-old snapped this image of me today.”
I Found A Way To Social Distance With Friends, And It Saved Me From My Depression
“This is what’s right for me. Friends, six feet of space, and fresh air.”
‘They say teachers change students’ lives. I can honestly say ‘my kids’ saved my life. Their love is a constant in an ever-changing world.’: Teacher pens appreciation letter to students, shares 10 pieces of advice for seniors
“I had to take leave of my job and relearn to walk, cut my own food, and wash my own hair. There was no other option. Immediately, the emails and cards started pouring in from my kids. I was determined I would make it back to them.”
‘Too bad she’s gay!’ I was just a freak, or ‘the attention seeking weirdo.’: Vet survives abuse, depression, ‘I am not broken’
“I drank A LOT. I lost weight, bleached my hair, got tattoos, and tried to become a whole different person. I have a lot of ‘labels.’ But I am not disorderly. I am not broken.”
‘I accused my father of giving me a desire to be a mom he wouldn’t fulfill. And yet, I knew there was a reason I wasn’t pregnant.’: Woman becomes foster mom after infertility battle, ‘I realized the promise was motherhood, not pregnancy’
“In less than 24 hours, our hearts turned from us to them. Our hearts somersaulted to an option that was nowhere near the table — it wasn’t even in the house. Foster care. And I was right, by the way. I’ve already given one baby back to his natural mom. But I’ll never not be a mom.”
‘The wedding was canceled. He was on the couch, moping. ‘Have you planned anything special for the day?’: Couple surprised after canceled wedding, ‘We will forever remember this as the day they got hitched!’
“He said, ‘A bunch of random a-holes are honking their horns in the parking lot.’ I shrugged, ‘Maybe you should go check it out.’ As he stepped out, he began to cry.”
‘She’s only 4.’ She was doing so well with cannabis, we wanted to fight it without harsh protocol’: Cancer warrior fights Stage 4 Neuroblastoma with help of cannabis, ‘We went into fight mode’
“Delilah hadn’t been eating much, but I thought she was just starting to get picky. She screamed and cried in pain. She couldn’t walk anymore. ‘She doesn’t look sick.’ I begged them to do an x-ray.”
‘I cried today. One moment I’m hugging my daughter, the next I’m yelling because she hasn’t finished her school work.’: Mom says ‘knowing I’m not alone keeps me sane’
“I cried yesterday , I cried today. I worry about my family and my aging parents. I worry about job security, and I worry for others — those businesses that may never open back up, the friends who are suddenly out of work.”
‘I work full time and over time, I’m a full-time student getting a Master’s Degree. But still, I cook dinner.’: Woman says ‘it’s the little things you can do to help your spouse’
“Not every night. Hell, not even most nights. But when I can, I do. Too often we get wrapped up in our separate lives outside of our marriage.”
‘It’s not that bad, be grateful.’ Our pregnancies can’t be rescheduled. These are memories we will never get back.’: Expecting mom says ‘none of us asked for this, but we will all come out of this stronger’
“This is not the time to ‘suck it up.’ This is the time to own every feeling of weakness and uncertainty we have, and move forward in spite of it… together.”
‘A crisis can bring you to your knees, or it can heal you. I choose to let it heal me, and I hope you do, too.’: Mom says ‘I don’t ever want to take advantage how lucky I am’
“I’ve mumbled the same phrases over and over again: ‘I hope they go to bed soon,’ ‘The last time I did math we were still carrying the one,’ ‘Sure, let’s do another TikTok video.’ Sometimes too much togetherness can feel, well, like too much togetherness. But on this day – in the midst of all the imperfection – it was perfect.”
‘Age doesn’t matter, you consented.’ It wasn’t a stranger or a creepy cousin. It wasn’t forceful, or a textbook case of victim and prey.’: Child abuse survivor cautions others during quarantine, ‘Home isn’t always safe’
“I was your typical ‘daddy issues’ case with a strong desire for male attention. Predators know what to look for and I must have had a flashing billboard promoting my willingness to please. I was told, ‘This can’t be true. People would notice!’ I’ve allowed fear to keep me silent.”
‘How much more can we handle?’ Being a military spouse was the toughest part of my life…or so I thought.’: Military spouse learns to ’embrace the suck’ after daughter diagnosed with rare cancer
“It’s funny how major life moments seem to always occur right before or during a long deployment. I was alone when we received my son’s diagnosis, and I was alone to figure out what to do next.”