“I saw nurses running back and forth. My parents waited for the helicopter to land. ‘They have to do surgery right now or she’ll die.’ My husband pulled over, went behind a building, and cried. ‘How am I going to raise 4 kids alone?!’ My oldest son was too scared to touch me. ‘I’m scared I’m going to hurt you, mama.’”
‘I blacked out and collapsed. ‘We’re taking your baby,’ I heard someone say. I woke up not knowing where I was. I tried to tell them I was in pain, but couldn’t talk.’
‘Momma, when are you gonna get better? I miss how you used to be.’ I could no longer lift her up. I didn’t have the guts to tell her there’s no cure.’
“I was walking down the sidewalk when I suddenly felt like my body was struck by lightning. My legs grew heavier with each step. All I could think was, ‘Something is very wrong.’ Nothing like this had ever happened before. The scariest part is fearing every day that I’ve passed it onto my daughter.”
‘I was 13 hours away with $1.32 in my account. Tears in my eyes, I gently opened the door. There was a look of shock on her face. ‘How did you get here?!’
“I wrote, ‘My mom is dying in hospice care and I feel guilty every day I’m not there sitting by her side.’ I awoke to something so unexpected. ‘Alex! Oh my god, Alex!’”
‘I was left at the altar. Instead of ‘I do’ I got 5 gut-wrenching words. ‘I just can’t do it.’ He didn’t look me in the eye. I caught him in a half-run and collapsed to the ground, sobbing.’
“I saw my mother rise up. ‘I AM GOING TO KILL HIM!’ I looked out at a sea of concerned faces, my own red from embarrassment. I just wanted to know who she was. The reason my heart was blown to pieces. When I returned home, all of his things were gone. Then it came. Two days later. A message to my sister.”
‘I love you. I’m sorry I can’t give you everything you want.’ My daughter sat on the bed, pouting. She was upset I wouldn’t take her to get a new toy. ‘Only because you won’t let me.’
“‘I love you enough to NOT give you everything you want.’ She rolled her eyes, clearly unwilling to accept this truth, and asked to be left alone. So, I walked away and closed the door behind me.”
‘I woke up with the worst pain. ‘They’re just headaches,’ I said. Something in my mom’s heart kept pushing. ‘There’s something in your brain,’ the doctor said. I was 11, and so confused.’
“I was rushed to the PICU. I tried to stay calm, but I was terrified. I couldn’t help but think, ‘How could I have done anything wrong to deserve this?’ I hid everything behind a smile, but I knew my life would never be ‘normal’ again.”
‘Before the wedding, I edited our father daughter track. He didn’t know this version was going to be different. Surprised, his head dropped on my shoulder. Tears rolled down both our faces.’
“I knew I wanted to surprise him at my wedding. As I wiped my dad’s tears away from his immovable smile, I looked over his shoulder as my new husband gently wrapped his arms around my mom. This was truly the sweetest moment of my life.”
‘You okay, buddy?’ He looked into my soul with those big blue teary eyes and started crying on my shoulder. He was defeated. ‘What’s the purpose of life?’ It’s a difficult question.’
“The park was a packed with kids. Without hesitation, I see him walk up to a crowd of 7 and 8-year-olds. ‘Hi, what’s your name?,’ Jude asks. The girls ran off to play together. Leaving Jude behind, confused. After a half hour of rejection, his head was down. He was defeated.”
‘I tiptoed into my daughter’s room to play tooth fairy. I saw a note from her big sister. ‘Why do fairy’s not show themselves? Could you please take a selfie? My iPad is in the room. Swipe right!’
“She hijacked our little one’s fairy visit, asking for proof. I couldn’t stop laughing. My husband and I talked about me putting on a wig, wings, and adding a bright light behind me to actually take a selfie, but that just made the lie even worse. I went with a letter because a note from Tabitha the Tooth Fairy totally isn’t lying.”
‘It smashed everywhere. Sometimes the smallest thing is the last straw. He messaged me. ‘I have limited time left.’ I recall saying, ‘We will see you next time.’ Looking into his eyes, I wasn’t sure.’
“We walked quietly to the room. We found two seats and moved them close to the bed. You think you will say the right things, but you don’t in those moments. I was speechless.”
