“It wasn’t the day I got my driver’s license. It wasn’t the day I got married or had children. Losing a parent changes you.”
I Became An Adult The Day My Mother Died
‘I prayed for perspective because sometimes that’s the only way forward. I’m grateful to have these groceries.’: Woman urges small blessings are ‘something to celebrate’
“At checkout, I realized I’d misplaced my debit card, but no biggie! I also had my husband’s. Well, I used the wrong PIN, so the bank marked it as stolen, and our bank account froze. I cried and said some choice words. And that’s when it decided to storm.”
‘Jack asked to wear his sister’s pants. He had his eye on them since they appeared. We both paused.’: Mom worries about son’s self expression, ‘Will they chalk it up to us, his two mom’s?’
“I mentioned his choice to my wife. Jack loves all things that sparkle. I wondered what his teachers and other adults might think. We paused immediately.”
‘At some point, the laughter stops. Then comes the heartaches, the lows. Find someone who will see your ugly, and sit in the silence with you.’: Woman shares ‘ultimate relationship test’
“Sometimes I don’t need ‘cheering up.’ When the curtain closes and the house is empty, I need someone who will stick around through the ugly, and sit in silence with me.”
‘I am older than he was when he died, and there is nothing more unnatural than that.’: Widow powerfully reminisces on birthdays, ‘This is not the way it’s supposed to be’
“He was always supposed to be older than me, yet now he is suspended forever in time at 45. I don’t want to be older than him. It’s not the way it’s supposed to be.”
‘Um, this is kind of weird but the car before you said they felt you HAD to have a cake donut.’ We failed to hold back tears.’: Woman gets touching ‘wink from heaven’ on day of late friend’s birthday
“When I pulled up to the window at Dunkin, I was surprised. In that specific moment, my brain was everywhere, trying to place this puzzle piece where it belongs. ‘ALLEN!’ We both failed to hold back tears.”
‘They blatantly said, ‘Stop having kids, it’s too much.’ Without restraint, we had babies 9 and 10.’: Birth mom to 10 says ‘I didn’t plan this, but I am so blessed!’
“People are curious. I’m a petite woman. They ask, ‘Are they ALL yours…like, came out of your body?’ When I say yes, they follow up with, ‘…How did you do it?’ I don’t. WE do it together.”
‘This man, alone and smiling, set up a home office with the tide coming in. ‘Why would he do that? He can’t stay there indefinitely.’: Divorcee thanks ‘mystery man’ for teaching life lesson, ‘It all matters’
“And then I checked myself. This mystery man on the beach reminded me it all counts, it all matters.”
‘I notice the lump in my throat getting bigger. I fight back tears as my sons stare at me wide-eyed. I pray God will help me carry all this weight.’: Mom with anxiety urges ‘life is too short, throw in the towel’
“It’s hard to take care of yourself when you’re always taking care of everyone else. I’m struggling to find the balance between keeping it all together without falling apart and realizing when I need a break. I pray to God to help me carry all this weight.”
‘Every half-birthday, my grandma would take me to breakfast at Cracker Barrel. Every year, she texted me to make me feel special.’: Christmas Eve baby cherishes grandma’s kindness during forgotten birthday
“As a Christmas Eve baby, I never got parties with friends. My birthday presents doubled as Christmas presents. People wrapped my gifts in Christmas wrapping paper, birthday cakes had Santa on them. Living in the shadow of Kris Kringle, my grandma wanted to do something to make me feel special.”
