“I felt a flicker of rage so strong I had to look down at my hands for a moment.”
‘I told a woman at the gym my son got into college. She replied, ‘Don’t celebrate too openly, other families may still be waiting.’: Special needs mom explains importance of celebrating milestones, ‘Let us have this’
‘Take the vacation, quit the job you hate. Eat the cake, wear the bright red lipstick. Take the family photos. Someone might not be here tomorrow.’: Brain tumor survivor shares powerful reminder to ‘live like you’re dying’
“I had a brain tumor in this picture I didn’t know about. And, most likely, even five to six years ago, it was there.”
‘Your children regress because they’re seeking a connection with you. They want to feel loved, seen, and valued.’: Mom shares children’s ‘bids’ for attention, ‘Respond with kindness’
“The 7-year-old who suddenly ‘can’t’ put their own shoes on? The 10-year-old who asks you to get them a drink? The 4-year-old who whines they can’t put their own jacket on (but they totally can)? They may just be craving more of your eyes and thoughts on them.”
‘One day you’ll find the gift in all this.’ She had the audacity to put a positive spin on my crisis. I’d been suffering for months.’: Woman shares how she ‘finds the gifts’ in life
“The system isn’t perfect. Gifts aren’t always easy or life-changing or neatly packaged. Little things like spending more time outdoors with my kids during the pandemic can be a gift within a tragedy. I’ve also had hardships that didn’t seem to yield any gifts.”
‘I don’t know why you’re in pain.’ I had already miscarried, I knew this wasn’t normal. Had I not been persistent, I would have bled out.’: Young woman shares miscarriage grief and ectopic pregnancy, ‘I hope my story can help someone else’
“A few months later, we found out we were pregnant again. It was a day full of pure happiness, and we knew this time it would work out. A week or so later I started having some pain and concerns. We were told it was another miscarriage. Five days after being told we miscarried, the pain was back and so incredibly severe. My OB said, ‘Take some Motrin, and hopefully it would go away.'”
‘I heard him opening the safe. I asked what he was doing. I thought he fell. That’s when I saw the smoke and his lifeless body next to me.’: Woman loses husband to suicide, ‘Have courage and talk about the hard things’
“At 6 a.m., he got up to get a glass of water. I do not know what he actually drank, but when he came back into the bedroom, I heard him opening the safe. The next thing I knew, I heard a loud noise.”
‘I KNOW timeouts don’t work. But my four-year-old has been chanting, for all the neighbors to hear, ‘Meany-head mommy.’: Mom urges ‘grace, even when we least deserve it’
“I know what you’re thinking. She’s four. You’re thirty-four. Why would you even have to control yourself. I put my four-year-old in timeout on the patio, and she’s been chanting for over five minutes.”
‘I left in the middle of a conversation. It’s OKAY to protect your heart. Get out and DON’T look back.’: Woman pushes ‘unfollow’ mentality, ‘Be careful what you give your energy to’
“One of those weird arguments that happen in online groups of humans brought together by a common sport, a school, or neighborhood. It had nothing to do with the other people and had everything to do with my heart.”
‘It might be neurological.’ My heart plummeted. How can I go on if my kids have this rare disease?’: Mom’s 2 sons diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, ‘We cling to hope’
“It started as a normal day. When I read about the symptoms, grief consumed me. Up until this point, I thought I had two perfectly healthy children. Then one of my boys ended up in the ICU.”
‘Of course you’re OK!’ He’s 36, the prime of his life! ‘We don’t need sirens.’ Halfway there, the sirens turned on.’: Widow shares grief journey, ‘This won’t define our family’
‘I heard a guttural scream and wondered where it was coming from. It was coming from me.”
