Happy
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‘You were born from my heart. I went out into the world to find you.’ My heart raced with excitement. I had to uncover the truth.’: Adoptee shares search for biological family, ‘Family is defined by love’
“My mother was told I died after I was circumcised. She was 13. Lies, secrecy, and betrayal run rampant in the family line. I sat there, stunned. Could this be the link to my past I’d always dreamed of?”
‘Our journey to become parents was heartbreaking. I seemed to find every pregnant woman on the planet. I had to save my sanity.’: Mom shares healing through meditation, ‘Find what brings you JOY’
“I threw myself into working, scouring the internet for infertility stories, scrolling Instagram mindlessly. I knew I needed help to bring myself out of the fog. But what I actually learned was to let go.”
‘My cousin is pregnant and incarcerated.’ Could it be real? I told him, ‘This MIGHT be the answer to our prayers.’: Couple pens emotional adoption journey, ‘She WILL know where she came from’
“I took one look at her and said, ‘She’s perfect.’ We had to sit nervously and wait. It was the most nerve-wracking 24 hours of my life.”
‘The house had no roof or door. He was lying on a towel. ‘You should adopt him!’ He was abandoned with his sisters.’: Couple adopts siblings after missionary work
“‘Can I hold him?’ I went in with an open heart, not knowing what to expect, and my heart came back full. I HAD to do something.”
‘You won’t make it through the night.’ I was scared to close my eyes. ‘FIGHT HARDER!’ I told myself.’: Two-time cancer survivor becomes model, ‘I was determined to get ME back’
“I told myself, ‘It’s just 8 hours, you got this. You feel no pain!’ I was pumped with meds but NOTHING was working. Seeing the look on my parents’ faces, I knew I couldn’t give up.”
‘We noticed wobbling in his eyes. My denial turned to heartbreak. ‘I can’t believe I passed on my problems.’: Woman learns to embrace blindness in herself and son, ‘I can guide him through life’
“‘No kids would want a blind mom!’ My husband told me not to worry, we’d do things differently, and would solve problems as they came. I assumed being a mom and wife was unreachable. He taught me differently.”
‘Unfortunately, you weren’t accepted.’ Everyone made jokes about me. ‘It’s because she’s FAT.’ My heart dropped.’: Young woman shares self-love journey, ‘I am worthy’
“’I know why you didn’t get in. They told us.’ My heart sank. ‘They didn’t think you’d be able to do physical activity.’ I was the only one who didn’t. It opened my eyes.”
‘We’re the only American family on the block. ‘Dear Neighbors, we’d be happy to see you tonight.’ They took the time to include us.’: Military family finds community during deployment, urges ‘make others feel welcome’
“We air-toasted our warm drinks in one another’s direction and voiced pleasantries across the cobblestones. The soft notes of Christmas music played through those open windows. You have no idea the impact even the smallest gesture can make.”
‘There’s ALWAYS something wrong.’ I’d sleep for 14 hours and still be exhausted. My body was clearly trying to tell me something.’: Woman battles chronic illnesses, ‘I changed my perspective’
“I was labeled a ‘hypochondriac.’ I’d get home and sleep without being able to do basic things like chores. ‘It’s all in your head!’ My worst fear was looking weak.”
‘You’re going to be a dad.’ He towered over me and the world stopped. I was ‘that girl’ at 18.’: Teen mom beats odds, creates beautiful family, ‘They became my happily ever after’
“‘Babies shouldn’t have babies!’ We were just 2 kids, living on minimum wage, trying to prove ourselves in a world which had already branded us failures.”
