“We were just waiting to see Santa. I will never forget that room, it was so beautiful. All done up with snowmen, lovely lights, Christmas Music playing. It was sensory heaven for my little boy. I will never forget that woman. I will never forget the way she looked at my little boy. The way she stared. The look of disgust on her face.”
‘No, no, don’t sit next to him darling, move away.’ This sentence cuts like a knife. It shatters my heart into a million pieces.’: Mom of autistic son wishes no other parent to ‘experience this ignorance’
‘Her father walked into my office, completely lost. His daughter was spiraling. She just needed someone to believe in her, so she could believe in herself.’: Police officer forms beautiful friendship with troubled teen, ‘I refused to give up on her’
“His daughter had started to drink and hang with the wrong crowd. She’d received her first official charge for destruction of property. He had no clue what to do with her. ‘I’ll meet with her.’ As she walked into my office, my whole life changed. She would come to challenge me, as I would challenge her. A bond would be formed that helped both of us become better people. I refused to give up on her. She was in need. She wanted to be better.”
‘What am I going to do?’ I passed off my newborn, said goodbye. Texts came flooding in. Strangers were offering to breastfeed my baby.’: Local ‘mom tribe’ step in to breastfeed newborn while mother’s daughter battles nearly-fatal flu
“She had a severe fever. I thought she’d sleep it off. The next morning, her breathing was off. She sat next to the couch and cried, coughing so hard she vomited. When the ambulance arrived, I passed off my other kids to a friend, said goodbye. That’s when I lost it. I had no idea this would be 1 of 9 nights my daughter would remain in the hospital. I had to be strong for my sweet girl.”
‘She had a holiday announcement planned ‘just in case.’ She doesn’t have life growing in her belly, but she has hope in her heart.’: Woman applauds all women waiting to become mothers ‘even when our bodies fail us’
“The holiday season is freshly fading, and that means pregnancy announcements have rolled out on social media. Here is to ‘that’ momma. The one who is still waiting, looking at one evil line on a pee stick. The one grieving a life she was so in love with. The one who has children of her own, but so desperately wants to give her husband a child with his DNA. The one who is tired of trying, and sad she is starting to give up.”
‘I gained 13 pounds over Christmas break. That’s a big gain on my petite frame in 2 weeks.’: Mom realizes how her weight gain benefited her entire family, ‘I can assure you – I feel lighter’
“In 14 days, I went from weighing 142 pounds to 155 pounds. Noticeable to you? Probably not. Recognized by me? No doubt. You shouldn’t feel a damn ounce of guilt over it.”
‘We were miserable. We argued every night. The tension was terrible. And then it was Christmas break. I honestly was nervous.’: Wife realizes being together ‘all day’ was ‘exactly’ what she and husband needed
“My husband and I were literally at each other’s throats. I was struggling with feeling like a single mom because he was so busy with his job. He tried in his own way. I should have voiced things more so he knew how to help me, and I didn’t. I just expected him to know. That wasn’t fair to him.”
‘Is this the real pin?,’ my daughter squeaked out. ‘Yes, my love, it is.’ ‘From his shirt?’ Her eyes were big and curious.’: Widow’s emotional gift for daughters honors their late father, ‘My hands trembled. It was beautiful, stunning’
“I gasped. I ran back to the garage, flung open the safe, and patted my hand. I felt the plastic sandwich bag. I pulled it out. And there it was. Two perfect pins. The real pins. Not only that, but his nameplate was in there, too. Tucked away. For the right time. Entrusting a stranger with something so personal, so sentimental, was like entrusting his body with the funeral home. I received the call, drove to the shop, my heart racing. ‘Stunning,’ I thought. When my 2 girls opened the jewelry box together, their collective gasps spoke volumes.”
‘You hold on tight. Somehow 20 years isn’t enough. When it’s time for them to go, it all hits you like a ton of bricks.’: Mom of teens urges us to ‘soak it all in’ during younger parenting years
“Suddenly, that little person who used to crawl up next to you in bed and cuddle up to watch cartoons becomes this young adult who hugs you in the hallway as they come and go. The chaos and laughter turn to silence. And you’re left hoping you did enough right so that when they spread their wings, they’ll fly.”
‘She began to sob, her head in her hands. She fumbled for a tissue, dotting under her eyes. She attempted to collect herself.’: Widow witnesses stranger break down in car after sharing daughter for holidays, makes her realize ‘You are worthy of love’
“I was sitting in the Target parking lot when a minivan pulled up next to me. A mom and her daughter were waiting for someone. Not a moment later, a man pulled up in a car and all 3 exited their vehicles. The only thing I can gather is these were divorced parents. The dad was taking his daughter for the holiday. The girl had a backpack with her. She hugged her mom tight. She got in the car with her dad, and they drove off. The mom watched as they drove away, walked back to her car, then I saw her. She sat for a moment. How would I feel if I had to share my son?”
‘Let’s raise our cold coffee mugs for every torn piece of wrapping paper we’ve picked up in the last 48 hours.’: Woman pens appreciation letter to moms who worked hard to make Christmas magical
“For every piece of cardboard we’ve folded to fit in a garbage bag (tetris has nothing on us, mamas). For all the months spent thinking about, searching for, and finally finding the most perfect gifts. All the time spent tracking packages from Amazon. We’ll never get this Christmas again. This one right here, right now. For next year, our little hearts will be another year older, another year wiser.”
