“He was moaning and groaning. I asked everyone in the room what had happened and what was going on. The head nurse shared that my Dad awoke around 3 a.m. in excruciating pain. That one instance led to my dad’s demise. And it was all my fault. That is what the enemy wanted me to believe.”
‘We are past time for you to call family. Your dad is not going to make it.’ ‘He was fine yesterday. What do you mean he is not going to make it?’: Woman who lost parents to bile duct cancer writes tribute to father, ‘He was my best bud’
‘Aly, you need to drive home.’ He never asked me to drive. He was supposed to walk me down the aisle.’: Daughter remembers father in beautiful way, ‘he’s my guiding star’
“He hunched over as if someone had punched him in the stomach. He saw how worried I was. ‘Aly, you need to drive the rest of the way home.’ I knew something was incredibly wrong. I am forever grateful for the 3 months I had with him.”
‘Who is going to pay for them?’ The years brought 7 more kids. ‘Are you crazy?’ Maybe.’: Mom chooses to have large family, ‘We had less money, but more love’
“The amount of rude comments were astounding. ‘Don’t you know how that happens? How do you afford them? We couldn’t figure out why everyone saw having a big family as a negative.”
‘She told my foster dad, ‘It’s either THEM. Or it’s ME. Pick.’ He stuffed our clothes into trash bags and dropped us off at CPS.’: Woman finds forever father after abandoned by foster dad, ‘He chose to love ME’
“When I was 5, I woke up one morning and noticed no one was home. Soon, I heard a knock at the door. The police sat us down. ‘Your mother and step-father have passed.’ Now, here we were, put back into the system. Off to more foster homes. ‘I don’t want them,’ he told CPS. I’ll forever be thankful for the man who gave me a chance. He was young. He had never met me. But he chose ME.”
‘I saw you pushing a stroller with a tiny pink princess backpack hanging off your shoulder, your daughter giggling hysterically as you made silly sounds.’: Woman pens ode to black fathers, ‘Your love is as endless as your potential’
“I saw you verbally tap dance when the police pulled you over, carefully annunciating every syllable and narrating your movements. We locked eyes. Black father, you walk through a world where you’re stereotyped to death, but you still rise.”
‘He received an email. ‘Because of you, I’m able to celebrate my birthday, and 60 years of life. Thank you.’: Husband donates bone marrow to stranger, wife feels blessed, ‘He is the calm to my storm’
“He donated bone marrow to save the life of a complete stranger. He was excited. Elated. He barred me from telling anyone, he didn’t want to make a fuss. That’s the man I’m married to.”
‘Dear Dads: we are quick to dismiss your hard work, assume life is easier for you, and joke at your expense. We see you, and we thank you.’: Mother pens grateful letter to all dads, ‘You’re killin’ it’
“Women who are mothers are usually good at building each other up, but where we often slack is doing the same for our male counterparts. I want to flip the script. I think it’s time the world rallied around you fellas and shouted your praises.”
‘BAM. There it was. ‘50% DNA FATHER.’ I knew he was out there, but he had no idea about me. He got the surprise of a lifetime.’: Woman meets biological father 35 years later, ‘He opened his heart and his home’
“There were things about me that just didn’t make sense. I have blue eyes, olive skin, and tan easily. No one in my family has blue eyes; not my mom, not my sister, or my grandparents. I was the vacation souvenir he knew nothing about. Nearly 24 hours later, HE RESPONDED.”
‘He gets to come home every night and take off his badge, his vest, his weapons. That choice is a PRIVILEGE.’: Cop’s daughter powerfully explains why ‘black lives matter’
“He can walk outside and nobody has to know he’s a cop. But black mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, and children? When the hate becomes too much or too hard, they don’t get to change their skin tone. They shouldn’t have to want to, but they are feared for simply existing.”
‘Galen, babe. We probably need to get moving.’ He didn’t respond. I thought he was just in a deep sleep.’: Woman loses husband to heart attack after 6-year battle with cancer
“He had a rough night with heartburn. ‘Galen, Galen.’ I set my hand upon his arm. He was COLD. The love of my life, the man I’d been married to for 13 years, was not breathing. The police officer hugged me from behind, tears streaming down my face as I choked on snot. I watched them put the love of my life in a black body bag. I would find out later that week, the EMTs had originally gone to the wrong location.”
