“We began to wonder if something was ‘not right.’ The moment she stopped breathing, I crumbled.”
‘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’
‘I used to grab him every morning at 5 a.m. when he’d cry out for me. Then, one day, he didn’t need my snuggles anymore. I didn’t know the last time would be the last time.’: Mom reminds us ‘savor the difficult moments, before they slip away’
“I’d spend hours just breathing him in. Watching the rise and fall of his chest. Kissing his forehead and snuggling his sweet little body. Still, I longed for sleep. Then, without warning, it all quickly slipped away. He didn’t need my snuggles anymore.I didn’t know the last time would be the last time.”
‘You will know heartache, the kind that takes your breath away. You’ll fail by spectacular measures. And your tribe? You’ll find it, and they will be far from what you expected.’: Mom shares words of wisdom for daughters
“Dear Girl, I wish I could tell you all of the answers. Every question mark you have in your heart, every silent vulnerability that you harbor and every fear quieted. But this is what I would tell you if you would only ask.”
‘Take photos with your grandparents, because one day, when the dust has settled and the years have gone by, those photos may be all you have left of them.’: Woman pens ode to grandparents
“In a culture where I never felt quite good enough for anyone, I was good enough for them. They loved me for me; in all my brokenness and in all my flaws, my grandparents loved every ounce of my being. None of us knew it at the time, but they saved me in more ways than I can count.”
‘He is my ‘Practice Child.’ The oldest of five. Sometimes I lay my head on his tall shoulder and say, ‘I wish I could’ve done better for you.’: Woman reminds us ‘you are just the right mom for the job’
“I remember my eyes settled on the look of deep despair spreading across his little 3-year-old face. ‘But Momma…without water we’ll DIE!!’ What kind of mother lets this happen? I felt like a failure. 15 years of parenting later, I wish I could say I have it all figured out.”
‘Hold me a little tighter Momma, life is moving by so fast.’: Mom pens touching letter from perspective of child, ‘Holding you all these years has meant more than you’ll ever know’
“I’m not ready for you to go.”
‘I watched more than a few of my friends commenting negatively on how they look now. Girl, stop glorifying your past self just for being skinnier.’: Woman reminds us ‘comparison is the thief of joy’
“Maybe your waistline grew this past decade (GUILTY, FRIEND), but so did your family. I fear for a time when my daughter would choose to comment only on her WEIGHT in her joyful photos. People preach about the importance of self-love and ignore the elephant in the room.”
‘I’ve watched my dad’s eyes glaze over as he called forth a lifetime of memories that didn’t require a photo to enjoy.’: Woman warns, ‘don’t miss the magic of the moment’
“The truth is, not all of the stories were wholesome or kind. They weren’t all politically correct or even decent but they were real.”
‘Never apologize for what you want. You have to go for it. You can’t compare your path with the path of others.’: Woman says ‘forge your own way and own it’
“You have the entire world at your finger tips, but that world is whatever you decide to make it. We cannot apologize for the things we want when and if they do not fall in line with the expectations the world has set for us.”
‘I used to tell people I didn’t believe in abortions. ‘It’s a baby! Murder!’ And then, my boyfriend died. You don’t know until you know.’: Woman struggling with grief says ‘I was faced with an impossible choice only I could make’
“After Jamie died, I found out we were expecting. We were pregnant. Only the ‘we’ was just me now. No one told me not to do it. No one tried to make me feel bad.”
