“Here’s the thing, you ALL have a friend inside you who is just like her. Maybe it’s time to let her shine, too.”
‘She helps me see hope in the chaos. She silently encourages me to be my true self. She reminds me I am worthy of love.’: Woman learns to embrace authentic self ‘without judgement’
‘There are no shortcuts, no finish line. I root for the boy who never spoke, for exactly who you are, and the person you may become.’: Special needs mom shares journey with autism
“But I do know that in your way, and your own time, you will do great things. I’ll stand on the ground while you soar above me. I’ll look to the sky and wave, even if you don’t look down long enough to notice.”
‘Did you HEAR that, Amanda? Are you getting all of this? You need to listen.’ I was constantly taken out of the classroom.’: Deaf woman turned dental hygienist urges ‘fight for what you stand for’
“I was the only deaf student. The truth is, it killed me inside. When you are young and your peers see your hearing aids, they can be cruel as heck.”
‘You look great now, but you’d look even better at 102 lbs.’ I’m terrified of my sweet, innocent little girl hearing the lies I’ve heard.’: Woman reinvents 10-year challenge, ‘Your body is a gift’
“I sent a message to the friend who had to deal with my food and weight issues up close and personal for years. ‘Thank you for all you did for me, and stickking with me.’ She simply responded, ‘Your weight has always been the least interesting thing about you.'”
‘SURGERY? I’m not letting anyone cut me open.’ The doctor pointed out things protruding from my back.’: Woman endures 7-hour scoliosis surgery, ‘I’m happy to say I came out on top’
“I immediately started crying. Why would God decide to make my spine curvy and my back ugly and cause me to have to go through this? This could be my last backflip into the pool. This could be my last time flipping around at the trampoline park.”
‘He may not always hold my hand, or say the words ‘I love you.’ But he always leaves me a plate of food on the counter.’: Woman says ‘it’s the little things’ after 21 years of marriage
“I read an article about hitting the marriage jackpot if your husband ‘does these 10 things.’ My husband of 21 years does none of them, but I still hit the jackpot.”
‘After rehab, I manipulated my mom into dropping me off at a bar. ‘I’m not an alcoholic.’ I got drunk and high that night.’: Woman overcomes heroin and alcohol addiction, ‘God put me on this earth to make an impact’
“I knew nothing about heroin. But I did it. That missing feeling I had inside of me for so long was gone. It felt warm and like I was being hugged. It felt like I had arrived. In my mind, I was a heroin addict, not an alcoholic. I got drunk and got high that night. I would share needles with whoever. I found out I had contracted Hepatitis C. One of my best friends, who I used with, had been sober for 18 months. If she could do it, so could I.”
‘Even if you lose the weight, you’ll just gain it all back. This is too hard for you.’ I felt sloppy and ashamed of my mom pooch.’: Mom of 3 dedicates to a healthy, positive lifestyle through ‘self-acceptance and love’
“I noticed it first in my wedding photos. I didn’t even want to have pictures hanging around my house because I didn’t like the chubby arms and wide face that glared back at me. I have only 2 pictures of my baby bump during my first pregnancy. I was so uncomfortable that I didn’t want any photos of my bare belly those 9 months. There was a dress I found that covered my body well and made me look ‘okay enough,’ so I bought it in 4 colors. I knew something had to change.”
‘I make mistakes. I snap when I should be sensitive. I lecture when you needed a hug.’: Mom wants kids to know even when she fails, ‘you are my treasure, you are my reason’
“When I look at you I am SO. PROUD. In this family we will make mistakes, but we will keep doing it together and we will keep holding each other other tight. I’m never going to be perfect, but I am always and forever yours, and I’m always and forever on your team. That I can promise you.”
‘This picture was taken 2 hours before I was bullied in front of my entire school. They made a mockery of me.’: Teen stands up against bullying, ‘I cheered in front of them with a smile’
“Friday afternoon, a group of kids decided to embarrass me. It was my senior year pep rally, my senior cheer night. This was the day they decided to put me down. Even after standing up for myself, they continued on with their foolish comments. I couldn’t stop wondering, ‘Why me?’ Then, I realized I was asking the wrong question. ‘Why do it at all?’ It doesn’t matter that it was done to me, it matters that it happened. It’s unacceptable.”
