“I want to know if my kid saw the new boy sitting by himself at recess and looked the other way. Saw the little girl with worn-out, hand-me-down clothes and laughed. If he was rude to his teacher when she got her own math problem wrong. In the grand scheme of things, who they’re becoming will have greater lasting effects.”
‘Sure, my boys got a bad grade. Or two. But kindness is more important than the honor roll will EVER be.’: Mom claims school success is all about character, not grades
‘At the nail salon, I felt a heavy substance drop onto my underwear. ‘No!’ I tightened my legs.’: Woman miscarries baby in nail salon ‘horror scene,’ vows to always ‘honor my little one’
“The ultrasound tech went silent. ‘Will I be getting my pictures today?’ I asked. I was in such a good mood. ‘No. If there was anything there, I would’ve shown you. There’s nothing.’ She was so heartless, her tone dry. I felt dizzy. I held my husband close, tears rolling down my face. He convinced me to get my nails done to distract my mind.”
‘I used to be a ‘mean girl.’ I look back and wonder, ‘How on earth did this happen?’ It’s simple: I hated myself.’: Woman admits to ‘cowardly’ past, claims ‘dimming another woman’s light doesn’t make yours shine brighter’
“I was a mean girl. Not the glamorous kind that wear pink on Wednesdays, but an insecure girl that ran with the ‘popular’ crowd. Truth is, I’m not even sure how I earned a spot there. It never felt natural. It felt like a competition to stay there. I was so busy trying to fit in and that I ignored my moral compass. I was a coward. If you look back on your school days and remember a time someone made you feel inadequate, know you were not. We were.”
‘I’m grown, married, and a momma to my own herd, but I’ll never stop needing you, mom.’: Woman praises mother’s ‘sacrifices, love’ in emotional letter, shamelessly admits to still ‘needing’ her after all these years
“All the times you told me how much you loved me growing up, I never fully realized the magnitude of those words. Until I had children of my own. Mom, I’ll never stop needing to hear your voice when I call. I’ll never stop needing you to hug me and pat my hair like you did when I was little, or your advice and wisdom. The way you step in to help when I’m drowning. Thank you for everything you do.”
‘I’m the ‘strong’ friend. Yet, I battle depression. Did you expect me to pull it together? I don’t work like that.’: Woman reminds us to ‘check on our strong friend,’ ‘she’s faking it’
“I’m the strong friend. I meet you for drinks when you’re facing disaster. I bring you dinner, flowers. I’m your sounding board. But you forgot to check on me. You ask me where I’ve been, you say I seem ‘off’ and that you miss my posts. You know what I heard? ‘Why aren’t you playing the role I need you to play?’ But I can’t play that role in life right now. I don’t have it in me.”
‘I used to be a bully. I was awful, and I wanted so badly to be liked.’: Woman admits to feeling ‘pang of guilt, shame’ at being childhood bully, proud of her ‘efforts to better herself’
“I was terrified my classmates wouldn’t see my worth. So, I threw rocks, said ‘bad words,’ and acted tough. The worst, though, is that I befriended kids I knew would let me get away with treating them terribly. I took advantage of them and their effortless kindness. I never want to be the cause of pain for anyone. It’s one of the worst things in the world to feel worthless. I know because I’ve been a bully to myself as well.”
‘When can I see the baby?’ New moms hear over and over, before she’s even left the hospital.’: Mom reminds us to ‘nurture the mother’ post-delivery
“Before she’s had a chance to sleep. Before she’s showered off the blood. ‘When can I come see the baby?’ Her estrogen and progesterone levels are plummeting. She’s shaky. Hot, cold, sweaty, and weak. Her crotch is swollen, puffy. She has stretch marks, hair loss, acne, blurry vision, and dry eyes. When you walk into her house, look at HER. Admire the baby, sure. But don’t forget to nurture the mother.”
‘I’m leaving for college soon. I wanted to make my little brother smile while I still can.’: Big brother’s ‘goofy joke’ reminds us to ‘make every moment count’ with our siblings
“I’m starting senior year of high school and my schedule allows me to get home before my little brother Max. One day, I ran to my room and threw together the most embarrassing outfit I could find. When Max got off the bus, he was very confused and embarrassed, which means my plan worked. I decided to do it again the next day, and the next. Soon, people started donating costumes and he began to really enjoy it. As an older brother, it’s all I could’ve hoped for. A smile on his face.”
‘How many people did you cross today? 5. Maybe 30? It takes 2 minutes to alter someone’s day.’: In wake of mass shootings, mom urges us to take 2 minutes to spread ‘kindness’
“There are people out there longing to feel connected. To feel seen. All it takes is one smile. One hello. Buy a coffee for the person behind you. That waitress busting her butt at the diner? Tip her and tell her how much potential she has. Send that text. We live in times I never wished for my children. I’m not naive to it. But, I refuse to let evil and hate paralyze me.”
‘The bride who refused to cover her birthmark.’ People wonder why I’m not ashamed.’: Woman with nevus birthmark celebrates her ‘distinctive look,’ reminds us to ‘love ourselves’
“At church, I made eye contact with a lady. She gestured for me to remove my birthmark from my face. I ignored her, but every time I gazed her direction, she’d make the same gesture. At the end of the service, the pastor asked if anyone had final remarks. She stood up. ‘I want the young lady to remove what’s was on her face.’ I was 9 years old.”
