“Every step he takes is a mountain climbed, every word he signs or says is a dream realized, every milestone met, a prayer answered. He is the bravest person I know.”
‘When he needs me, he can reach out that cute little hand and mine will be right there, ready for him. Steady for him.’: Special needs mom shares ode to brave son with extra chromosome, ‘I hold his hands, but he holds my heart’
‘I’m concerned about BOTH girls.’ We assumed they were ‘happy and healthy’ babies. Our reality became a movie.’: Twins have HECW2 rare genetic disorder, ‘We’re equipped for what’s to come’
“We began to wonder if something was ‘not right.’ The moment she stopped breathing, I crumbled.”
‘Dear friend, it’s still me. Well, sort of. I’m no longer popping bottles, I’m pouring milk into them. I’m canceling a lot and it’s hard to explain why.’: Mom to newborn says ‘please keep inviting me, it means more than you know’
“I know you messaged me this morning…or was it yesterday? It’s all a bit of a blur and my phone is buried somewhere on my bedside that has never felt so small. I so badly want to reconnect with you, but I’m trying to reconnect with me too.”
‘I KNOW timeouts don’t work. But my four-year-old has been chanting, for all the neighbors to hear, ‘Meany-head mommy.’: Mom urges ‘grace, even when we least deserve it’
“I know what you’re thinking. She’s four. You’re thirty-four. Why would you even have to control yourself. I put my four-year-old in timeout on the patio, and she’s been chanting for over five minutes.”
‘He’ll be bulletproof!’ I handed him to the nurse and we locked eyes. Chaos ensued.’: Baby born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, ‘I love to be reminded of how he lived’
‘At 6 days old, Lawson had his first open-heart surgery. My baby had been through SO much. I was ready to give him the gift of time and life. He’s perfect.”
‘Frankly, I was about to pull a Jesus at the Marketplace and send tables flying. Parents, we have to LOWER OUR STANDARDS.’: Mom shares act of ‘grace’ while out with family, urges ‘pay it forward’
“‘Great idea, hon. Let him eat on the filthy restaurant floor!’ A woman at the table behind us turned around in her seat. She was definitely preparing to make some commentary, and my stomach dropped a little. But then she smiled.”
‘No human needs to walk around trying their absolute best all the time. Sometimes trying your best is just too tall of an order.’: Mom urges compassion for everyone
“We take in a million messages putting us into good old-fashioned fight or flight. It’s legitimately exhausting. I do not have a drop of ‘trying my best’ left in me.”
‘Do you want to go out for coffee?’ I texted the mother of my daughter’s bully.’: Mom urges ‘we don’t know what others are going through unless we listen’
“This mom, who I didn’t actually know, was having a really hard day — a really hard life, actually. For the first time, I shut my mouth and listened. Not every kid at school has what my daughter has at home.”
‘Late to work, I left my dogs behind with full bladders. I spilled my coffee. On my shirt. Three times. My ‘great day’ lasted until the sun came up.’: Widow says ‘survival looks good on you, kid’
“You know what they say: ‘When you plan your spouse’s funeral, you can pretty much do anything.’ I had one of those mornings. Despite all of it, I am surviving. I don’t think we remind each other enough that we’re proud just for making it through the day.”
‘They could hear the screams as they celebrated their mass together. ‘What did you do?’ this Christian was asked.’: Woman doesn’t want to be ‘the Christian who sings’
“They just tried to drown out what was happening with their singing. They sat in a church and all they did was sing louder. This story runs through my head on repeat. I don’t want to be the Christian who sings.”
