“I told my husband, ‘I can’t do it anymore. I have to call.’ The tumors were everywhere. He looked me straight in the face and said, ‘I will never forgive you.’ I was on the verge of a breakdown. We do not think of dispatchers as heroes, but that night, Jeff was mine.”
‘My name is Jeff. Tell me exactly what happened.’ His voice changed, his tone dripping in comfort. He guided me through the biggest crisis I’ve ever experienced.’: Widow thanks ‘hero’ dispatcher, ‘Kindness is free’
‘He met me at the door. ‘Close your eyes.’ I could tell by the eagerness in his voice, he had something delightful to show me.’: Widow recalls late husband’s emotional birthday for daughter
“He led me into the living room. I found myself dripping in anticipation. He took my hand and shuffled me to the center of the room. ‘Okay, open!’ he exclaimed. I didn’t realize I was crying until I reached up to wipe my face.”
‘We might all be going through this together, but your feelings are still unique to you. Nobody gets to tell you how to feel.’: Widow shares words of wisdom for those struggling through pandemic
“One day, my family was intact. We were running around doing all the things, laughing and joking and being busy. The next, it was shattered. On Thursday, June 23, 2016, my husband was alive, and on Friday, June 24th, 2016, he wasn’t. And nothing has been the same since.”
‘Tonight, I was so tired I didn’t want to even carry my own purse. So, he did. He carried it, just like he carries so many burdens.’: 911 dispatcher says ‘sometimes, all you need is someone who will carry your purse’
“I am an ‘essential worker.’ A 9-1-1 emergency dispatcher to be exact. We’re feeling the change at work, just like all the other front-line people. I wish for you somebody who will carry your purse. Because sometimes, that’s all you really need.”
‘Both on the verge of tears one announces, ‘He smacked me.’ I check for blood, bruising. ‘She was using too much toilet paper!’: Mom shares hilarious ‘chaos’ of quarantine with multiple kids
“I was sound asleep when I suddenly hear a knock at my bedroom door. My heart jumps. The pounding in my chest gets louder. Both children are standing at the door, both upset. ‘It’s 2:30 in the morning,’ I firmly reminded them. I am trying to figure out how I can self-isolate in my closet, but they keep finding me.”
‘She didn’t want to talk about it or deal with it. Mix teen hormones in and you have a recipe for disaster.’: Widow celebrates daughter’s strength after husband’s passing, gets wink from heaven
“He wasn’t just her dad. That man was her best friend. He would have moved mountains for her. He did gymnastics with her. He let her put his very short hair in ponytails. He baked cupcakes with her, every Sunday night. And then one summer night, he died holding her hand. She woke up, crawled across the floor, pulled herself up to stand on shaky legs, and decided enough was enough.”
‘My husband and I ended up in marriage counseling over a bathroom. Yep, I said. ‘How about aiming IN the bowl? Is it really so hard, fellas?’: Widow urges ‘don’t waste time on things that don’t matter’ after husband dies of pancreatic cancer
“My husband and I had an agreement. We would share chores, INCLUDING cleaning the bathroom. No matter how many times I lost it, wrote it on a chore list, cried, or slammed doors – it just never, ever got done unless I did it myself. I couldn’t understand, and he didn’t have a good answer. So, by God, I dug my proverbial heels in. If he wasn’t going to help me clean those bathrooms, then our-marriage-was-doomed.”
‘Who will take care of you when I’m gone?’ It froze me. We were supposed to be planning our camping trip, not his funeral.’: Widow shares touching moment of hope, ‘Don’t give up, your chocolate cake is coming’
“We were still young. His death was not supposed to happen. So, when I woke up to go work yesterday, 4 years after my husband died, I opened up my tired eyes, looked over to my nightstand, and there it was. That white cereal bowl with a slice of chocolate cake in it, left there by the one that came ‘next.’ He knew it had been a rough day. He knew I needed to have 5 whole, quiet minutes to just enjoy something that I love. Because he gets it. He really gets it.”
‘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.”
‘Please let her get a break.’ We held our breaths for the next 12 hours. I want to be just like her when I grow up.’: Mom aims to be more like determined daughter in New Year, ‘She was scared, but she did it anyways, even though it was hard’
“One year of tuition was more than one year of my salary. We prepared for it to be a bust, another disappointing experience. After all, she got into another private school before with a huge scholarship, only for them to realize they sent it to her by mistake. I spoke to my mom, both of us hoping something was going to work. Both of us keeping our fingers crossed this girl was finally going to get a break. She was set to go, bags packed. And then, at the last minute, her residency had been rejected.”
