“My mother had been rejecting me from conception. She had tried to miscarry me her whole pregnancy. She hated me so much that when I was born, she struggled to even touch me or hold me. I realized I would never win, I would never have ‘That Mom,’ and I would never have the relationship with her I’d wanted all of these years.”
‘I did everything and anything to get her to love me, and nothing worked. I wrote out who I needed her to be. Who I had dreamt of her being. And then I grieved them.’: Daughter to toxic mother urges ‘you are worthy of healthy love’
‘It’s been years since he could ‘see’ my face. But he got to hear me laughing through my tears as I recited my vows.’: Woman shares her marriage, pregnancy journey with husband’s vision loss
“It makes me sad to know he couldn’t see me on our wedding day, or when we were engaged, or when I told him I loved him for the first time. But love has overcome all of these sad truths.”
‘We were so focused on building a family, we forgot we ARE a family.’: Woman details infertility journey, ‘We have so much love for each other’
“What I really wanted was a house full of love. And that’s what I have.”
‘She’ll be in a wheelchair by 40 and you’ll end up her caretaker.’ I accomplished everything his dad said I COULDN’T do.’: Wife with cerebral palsy, epilepsy, finds love, defies all expectations
“My husband’s dad gave him a book about cerebral palsy, probably written by a doctor who retired in 1975. I read it because I wanted to know what my life could’ve looked like. But my husband NEVER did.”
‘The guy I end up with is going to cook, clean, and do everything I do.’ My best friend said I was crazy.’: Woman shares ‘true love’ story with late husband, ‘I had high standards, he met them’
“Flashy clothing, cars, and jewelry all go out of style. Being married to your best friend never does.”
‘Why did I go through this?’ I realized the hardest work starts after the addiction, not during.’: Wife of a former addict writes her way to healing and forgiveness
“I let bitterness sink in, and I was always ready to battle. We started new careers, had beautiful babies, and traveled, but we were too busy to realize we hadn’t dealt with our need to heal.”
‘Daddy, what did you do?’ Our charcoal grill was sitting in the middle of the room, towels blocking the windows. I started screaming.’: Woman shares grief of losing father to suicide
“One day, my dad handed me half of a rock. He pulled out the other half and said, ‘If you ever miss me, put the two halves together. Then it’ll be okay and we’ll be together.’ I didn’t really understand, but I took the rock.”
‘I reread our old texts. Our first date still plays in my mind. It’s the best movie I’ve ever seen. Through photos, I envision the life I thought would be ours.’: Woman shares reminder to embrace pain post-breakup
“If she wants to sulk, I let her sulk. Because holding onto her pain doesn’t mean she’s not living. It means she is.”
‘Without any praise we tell her, ‘You are lucky to have a man who helps.’: Mom urges ‘dads are not babysitters, they’re parents’
“Dads are not babysitters, and mothers are not machines.”
She Is Tired And Lonely—Husbands, Love Her Where She Is
“Love her when she takes the time to do her hair, and when it’s wrangled into a knot. Love her when her clothes are trendy, and when she decides on an oversized sweater. Love her when her legs are buttery smooth, and when they’re prickly.”
