Touching
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‘He’s gone, Lex, he’s gone,’ my poor mom repeated between her sobs. I knew I’d never see my dad’s face again.’: Woman loses father in tragic accident, ‘The grief is always with you’
“I found two police officers parked in front of my house. They wouldn’t tell me what was going on. ‘You’ll find out soon.’ I fell to the ground in shock. I couldn’t believe I was ‘the girl whose dad died.’”

‘The social worker brought out a 5-day-old baby, wrapped in a blanket, and said, ‘Here you go!’ There were so many unknowns.’: Foster mom shares journey, ‘It’s beautiful chaos’
“There have been days we want to throw in the towel and choose an ‘easier life.’ But we know this is what our family is called to do.”

‘We were two women, thrust into the positions of caregiver and lover. The trajectory of our lives forever changed.’: Partners of quadriplegic men pioneer global support community for others
“They were more than their new wheelchairs. They were the guys we fell in love with. We lost our home, careers, and the life we once knew. There was nothing available online, no resources for women like us. Then, we found each other.”

‘Surprise! It’s two kids, not one.’ My husband said, ‘Tell them YES!’ I was terrified my babies would be taken from us.’: Foster family shares adoption journey, ‘It was worth every fear’
“Packing their things was hard. The house felt empty the more I packed. I was loading the car up when my phone rang. ‘I know you’re saying goodbye, but we have a newborn.’ We decided right there to say yes.”

House Fires — 5 Things To Know If Your Home Ever Goes Up In Flames
“Watching your house go up in flames is shocking. It’s been three months since then, and in that time I have learned so much.”

‘My small apartment was OVERFLOWING with garments, and my heart and spirit were overflowing with JOY.’: Man starts ‘Knit the Rainbow’ to help LGBTQ youth in need
“A STAGGERING number of youth are left subject to the brutal seasons in NYC. As a Black gay man, I was embarrassed I hadn’t known. THIS was the community I had to help.”

‘Mom, I don’t feel like a boy OR a girl.’ I realized they only knew life as ‘boy’ or ‘girl.’: Mom of non-binary child says ‘they will ALWAYS come first’
“I always thought of myself as an ‘ally,’ but here was a moment, this was my child, my flesh and blood. I knew what I said next mattered more than anything in their world.”

‘My grandmother always kept a whistle next to the phone.’: Woman shares touching life lesson from grandma, ‘Blow a whistle on anything that disturbs your peace’
“I know. It’s strange, right? I’ve come to believe it is either absolutely crazy or pure genius.”

‘I’d relax into thinking, ‘I’m finally a mom.’ We’d have a bad day, and I’d sob at my demotion back to ‘just a stepmom.’: Stepmom shares journey, ‘I’m done with the word JUST’
“At 36, I said ‘I do’ to a handsome soldier and his 13-year-old son. I was a mom at last. That’s when I learned the harsh reality of labels. I wasn’t a ‘real mom.’”

‘At your age and with your history, you will miscarry.’ I was an unlikely pregnant 40-year-old, but I knew they were wrong.’: Mom battling infertility welcomes rainbow baby, ‘He is my heart’
“One day, after 4 years of losing battles and babies, I woke up pregnant for the seventh time at 40 years old.”