“The receptionist had no idea running down the list of ‘catch up’ questions would leave me sitting teary-eyed in the corner.”

‘Chad is still your emergency contact?’ I’m lucky to be loved by two men. Every day, I’m learning to make room in my heart.’: Widow shares emotional moment of grief, ‘I didn’t give up love, I found more’

We Need To End The Toxic Milestone Mentality— Here’s Why
“When you’re 35 and have never been married and don’t have kids, you have a lot to explain to society.”

‘Redheads are witches!’ From my first breath, I was different. I had to find love within myself.’: Bullying survivor shares journey to self-love
“My hair put me in the spotlight. People thought I was strange or unhappy, but on the inside was a party full of light and laughter. I had to choose ME.”

‘We moved in after 5 months of dating. Not because we were madly in love, but because of the pandemic. We had a 50/50 chance of this working out.’: Woman shares pandemic love story
“We had a 50/50 chance of working out. My emotions had me laughing at the irony of finally finding a boyfriend after being single for five years – yet, here we were, in the middle of a pandemic on lockdown.”

‘I WILL find you again.’ My heart was turned upside down by a 3-year-old. Most kids don’t leave.’: Woman becomes life-long orphan advocate, ‘There are so many ways to be family’
“‘I know my odds aren’t great to find a family.’ The children were simply numbers. But he held out hope. We both did.”

‘Your best course of action is IVF.’ Surely this wasn’t real. I didn’t know anyone who had gone through this. We told everyone.’: Couple advocates for infertility awareness, ‘I never lost hope’
“I cried so much. Why would people put themselves through this? Hope. Desperation. Longing. I realized this wasn’t something people wanted to share or talk about. Surely I wasn’t the only person going through this?”

‘I was waiting at a red light when I lost consciousness. I called my Sergeant. ‘I’ve been in an accident. Something isn’t right.’: Officer credits rottweiler for saving her life post-traumatic brain injury
“Against my doctor’s orders, I requested to go back to full duty. I was no longer the same smiling, positive person I once was. I had constant headaches. Everything was foggy, and the world became so loud I was always nauseated. Everything and everyone irritated me, including my husband. When we found out we were expecting, I was filled with fear.”

‘I received a rejection letter that read, ‘African American ‘fathers’ is such a tough sell. Your project will not be a good fit.’: Author denied book publishing due to ‘black protagonist’
“Imagine you’re a black author. You’ve written one of your best works about fatherhood. You’re super excited to get it published, only to receive a rejection letter targetting the color of your black protagonist.”

‘He should be institutionalized!’ People wanted to know why we didn’t put him in a home to free up our time.’: Nephew of late uncle with Down syndrome shares his journey, ‘I always knew Kelly’s life mattered’
“He began having seizures. He required a wheelchair, was unable to feed himself, could not use the restroom, and basically became dependent for all of his daily needs. But in the midst of all the changes, Kelly never lost his ability to smile.”

‘This clueless, white momma is humbly coming to you to ask for your help…’ I’d never met her. She was a stranger. ‘I can help.’: Woman helps adoptive mom learn to style African-American hair
“‘I need help. I don’t know how to style her hair.’ Stephanie and her daughter have different hair and skin. One of the questions people asked me was, ‘Why would a white woman adopt a black child?’ The only answer I had was LOVE! I immediately responded, ‘Let’s set a date and time.’ Every little girl deserves to look and feel great.”