“This isn’t the first time we’ve had a major spill in the house. But it’s the first time it hit so hard. Those tears were missed classmates and grandparents. An abrupt pause to her school year. Overhearing news stories not meant for innocent ears. Our children should not have to worry about rationing food. Our children should never even know they need to worry about food.”
‘But, I wasted food,’ she sobbed as she knelt down to pick up the mess. I know those tears were more than just spilled Cheerios.’: Mom says to give children grace during quarantine, ‘They’re carrying a heavier load than they can balance’
‘I remember saying the very words, ‘Not her.’ That was my breaking point. Hurt me, but not my sister. I threatened to tell my mommy what they did.’: After surviving abuse, cancer woman says ‘sometimes just having someone to talk to is enough’
“I tried to hide it from my parents but their child had changed and they knew something had happened. I walked onto the bridge with tears in my eyes. This is how I would do it. She watched me, and through the grace of God, decided she should call the police. This woman, I truly believe, was an angel.”
‘We cancelled our baby shower. I went from Googling dangly monkey earrings to ‘28-week baby premature survival rates.’: Woman expecting her rainbow baby says ‘I will continue to stay home and fight to be a helper’
“But then, people I love dearly got laid off. But then, I found myself on the phone with older family members I naively thought would live forever, suddenly wondering ‘what if.’ But then, people started to die. In what felt like a matter of minutes, it became more clearly into focus what was really at stake.”
‘I just spent 30 minutes under the hotest water, crying in the shower out of fear so I don’t scare my family.’: Nurse urges ‘our lives are just as important as the ones lying on the stretchers’
“Here I am today, shaken and crying. I’m not scared of this virus. I’m angry. Every day I set foot in the ER, there’s a high risk of contamination, injury, and possibly death because of lack of masks, gloves. Yet, without a second thought, I will always choose to risk my life to save someone else’s. That makes me extremely sad for my children. I hate that I’ve put them in this situation.”
‘My ex sat me down on the couch and said, ‘I will never be able to love you for the way you look.’ He stood up and left, forever.’: Woman describes her journey to ‘love myself fully again’
“That day broke me. Not because my boyfriend left, not because of the things he said. But because in one moment, I lost the dearest, most precious thing any of us have – I lost myself. I moved cities, countries, and even continents. It’s been 3 months and 3 years since he took my love away.”
‘I cried in my car for an hour today. I think, ‘I have NO idea why I became a nurse.’ I am dispensable…just a number on payroll EASILY replaced.’: Nurse says ‘remember no one’s out here taking care of me’
“I’ve been up since 3 in the morning. I was tired, and then got yelled at first thing. No matter how hard you work…how many hours you put in…it never seems to be enough. And it hurts. Today, I really can’t tell you why I’m a nurse.”
‘I was talking to a man who asked, ‘Do you think women can have it all? You know, the whole shebang.’ He was shocked by my answer.’: Woman says ‘take time for what makes you happy’
“I tried so hard to have it all. I thought I could raise my boys, be a great wife, have a clean home, be a productive employee, exercise 5 days a week, get enough sleep, drink water, and maintain a flawless manicure. But I was wrong. I couldn’t do it all. At least not all at once.”
‘If your friends on social media are spreading negativity, unfollow them. If the news makes you feel bad. STOP watching it.’: Woman says ‘I’m choosing not to marinate in fear during this time’
“Let’s be real, some people live for the drama, gossip, and to whine and complain. Choose to continue living. I may not have control over a lot of what’s going on in the world, but I do have control over what’s going on in MY world.”
‘My friends have children that are dying. 8 separate friends received devastating news this week, and they’re waiting for the inevitable.’: Woman urges ‘find your suffering friends and show them they are seen’
“We’re separated by a glass wall — those who can see the suffering but don’t know what to do with it are on one side. Grief is on the other side. Take a sledgehammer to that glass wall. Find the people who are scared. Find the friends who are depressed, the person overwrought with terrible grief. Show them they are seen and they are worthy.”
‘Why bother with contraception? You’ll never have children anyway.’ I wanted to give up.’: Young woman overcomes depression from PCOS, acne, ‘I keep blooming every day’
“I remember the distress I felt. ‘Why is my hard work not paying off?’ I just wanted to give up and hide from the world. I thought I wasn’t worthy of love. I mean, who could possibly love such an ugly face? At my lowest point, I met a boy. He made me realize I was so much more.”
