“The woman my ex-husband had an affair with was engaged. That man showed up for us with groceries, moving boxes, ice cream. And he showed up with his very own broken heart. So I did what any reasonable girl would have done. I fell in love with him.”
‘No one will want a divorced, single mom of 3.’ I thought it was the end of me. He showed up day after day for my broken family.’: Mom shares powerful love story, ‘It was just the beginning’
‘I don’t drink any more than my mommy wine friends.’ It was my reward after a hard day. I felt like I earned it.’: ‘Mommy Wine Culture Survivor’ says ‘sobriety was the greatest gift’
“I was the woman in yoga class joking about sweating out the booze. I was the mom who planned pre-drinks. I was also the businesswoman, completely hungover, giving a presentation in heels.”
‘Newborn strapped to my chest, I said, ‘I think we should foster.’ We knew it would take a village.’: Couple is ‘changed’ by foster care, ‘Our love grows each day’
“There have been some really hard days of tantrums, yelling, and crying. ‘Are we crazy? What are we doing?’ We wouldn’t be here without our village.”
‘I’m worried to give you the spot because of your hearing.’ I was mortified. I needed to prove him wrong.’: Student with hearing loss becomes advocate, ‘I’m proud of myself’
“The coach pulled me aside. ‘You have the skills, but I’m worried you’ll miss commands.’ I wasn’t about to let someone make assumptions based on my disability.”
‘You sure don’t look blind.’ It gets old. Every day, I am being robbed of my remaining vision.’: Woman with rare visual impairment urges ‘be kind always’
“When I use my white cane, I am not faking it. I am letting you know I can’t see well, if at all.”
‘My husband owed the store 53 cents. The cashier reached into her pocket and said, ‘Nope. It’s okay. I’ve got this.’: Woman details stranger’s act of kindness, ‘There is no act too small this week’
“We have a choice on how we move forward this week — with kindness or with hatred.”
‘I couldn’t find an Uber. A few drinks in was the sweet spot. I needed to go home. In the moment, I felt sorry for him.’: Abuse survivor recounts chilling night
“At about 4 a.m. we were winding down. I needed to get back to my daughter. I wish I could say I ended it right then. We loaded up and headed back to the hotel. I should’ve gone home. I thought somehow I could fix him.”
‘My doctor said, ‘It’s just part of being a woman. You have a lower pain tolerance.’ I was nicknamed ‘drama queen.’: Young woman diagnosed with endometriosis after 7 years of pain
“I always looked 6 months pregnant. My friendships dissolved instantaneously. My stomach was filled all the way from my bowels to my intestines, reaching close to my heart. ‘If you went on any longer, you could have died.’ Still, no one believed my pain.”
‘Can you take in 3 siblings? They’ve been in foster care 15 months and need parents.’ We cried tears of joy.’: Couple adopt 4 siblings from foster care, ‘They are our heroes’
“Sitting in traffic, my phone began to ring. My husband said very frankly, ‘Yes…Of course…When do you need us to come?’ He whispered, ‘Another sibling was born yesterday. They want him to join our family.’ He didn’t even have a name. I immediately began to cry and shook my head yes.”
‘Today I held back tears of frustration while the sweet girl at Chick-fil-A took my order. I forgot my mask, and my antidepressant.’: Woman urges ‘we’ll emerge from this year stronger’
“I’m tired. Worn out. Burned to a crisp. T-O-A-S-T. I think we all are. The last six months have felt like six years, and at the same time I don’t quite understand how the year is almost over.”
