“I’ve experienced too many instances of people taking selfies with Penny and posting them all over social media. Penny is not your ‘Disabled Best Friend,’ or a chapter in your Facebook Story. Please don’t exploit a non-existent relationship with a disabled child in a wheelchair to demonstrate to your friends and family how wonderful you are. She just wants to belong.”
‘Penny is nonverbal, but please don’t make her a prop. She is not your ‘disabled best friend.’: Dad touched after stranger’s rare ‘act of empathy’ for daughter with Aicardi syndrome, ‘the world needs more people like her’
‘Don’t try to fix me, or tell me it’s in my head. Just show up. Just love. I promise I’ll do the same.’: Woman pens letter to friends explaining anxiety, ‘true friendship is loving each other in ups and downs’
“When anxiety rears its ugly head, everything can look perfect. But all of a sudden, normal things feel like end-of-the-world things. Dirty dishes a mountain, laundry a tsunami, fighting kids a start of the third world war, bills are the crash of the stock market, relationship issues are the end of me having friends. Even though you can CLEARLY see it’s not, for me, that’s what the world feels like. You, my friend, can help me. You can love me in that space.”
‘I became a crappy friend. My best friend got cancer. Instead of being a rockstar, I went MIA.’: Woman pens sweet letter to best friend who beat cancer after losing her mother
“My best friend showed up at my son’s birthday party and told me she had the same cancer that took my mom a year earlier. I was numb. Heartbroken. Clueless how to maneuver through grief, while also trying to support her. Sure, I sent cards and care packages. But I was MIA. Truth is, I was obsessively thinking about her. It’s taken a year to finally wake up.”
‘Will you excuse me?’ The cake smash was ready. Except, I was in my closet, crying uncontrollably.’: Mom breaks down at daughter’s first birthday party, discovers Cri Du Chat diagnosis
“This was her first birthday party. We had over 30 guests waiting downstairs to celebrate her. I couldn’t go down. I only had one thought: ‘This day is a celebration of everything she can’t do.’ In my closet, I huddled in a ball, trying to find my brave face. We were already 3 months into speech and physical therapy. We’d seen all 3 specialists and were no closer to an answer.”
‘The dad she always dreamed of. He not only read vows to his wife, but also to his new stepdaughter.’: 9-year-old brought to tears by new dad’s surprise emotional vows during wedding ceremony
“We hadn’t spoken in 10 plus years. I noticed Jimmy liking things on my Facebook, so I messaged him. A week later we had our first date, and that was it! I knew he was the one. Everyone was in tears. It was a surprise for Olivia.”
‘You know, short hair, glasses, chubby.’ I was literally jarred. I asked my daughter to repeat what she said.’: Mom ‘angry’ after daughter was called ‘chubby’ by classmate, ‘everyone giggled’
“I will never forget the shame and fear in her eyes as she looked up at me and asked, ‘Am I?’ Those kind brown eyes searched my face for the truth. Kind of chubby… Those words reached down into my body, grabbed my heart with a fierce grip and punched me in the stomach.”
‘We would take them no matter what.’: Mother of special needs children tries to relinquish Godmother duties from best friend, she refuses, ‘It doesn’t need to be discussed’
“We agreed my best friend would be their godmother. But after they were both diagnosed with autism, I felt the overwhelming urge to free her from that responsibility. Taking on two children is a lot. Taking on two children with special needs even more. She didn’t agree to autism—none of us did. So, I messaged her.”
‘Does your daughter play with many kids?’ I was surprised at my parent-teacher conference.’: Mom shocked my ‘mean girl’ mentality in 6-year-olds after daughter targeted, ‘My daughter views everyone as her friend’
“It turns out, my daughter plays by herself during recess. To hear that shocked me, knowing my daughter is not shy. It’s a certain girl who won’t let others play with her. I’ve seen it firsthand. I’ve overheard that same girl mumble she ‘isn’t friends’ with my daughter. Yet my daughter is oblivious.”
‘I was awful to her. I totaled the friendship. I’ll never know why she accepted my apology.’: Woman thankful for ‘second chance’ with BFF, admits ‘not all friendships should be resuscitated’
“When I eff things up, I do it spectacularly. The same is true with friendships. Eventually, I’m going to say or do the WRONG thing. My mistakes haunt me. I was awful to my life-long BFF. When what I’d done hit me, I was crushed. She chose to love me when I deserved nothing. I am still in awe. Forgiveness separates my gal pals from ‘ride or die’ besties.”
‘What race are you guys?’ He didn’t want us sitting there because he’s ‘racist.’: Woman appalled by ‘2 grown adults’ who refused to sit near them in Buffalo Wild Wings because they’re African American
“The host responded that a table with 2 of their ‘regular customers’ were next to where we were to be seated. He didn’t want us sitting there because he’s ‘racist.’ ‘Us,’ being a group of of mostly African Americans. We notice an employee talking to the ‘racists table’ and approaches us. ‘These seats are reserved. We will have to move your group.’”
