“It wasn’t just about our marriage. Our children gained a dad and siblings overnight. Blended. Forever.”
‘Do you remember your dad?’ She responded, ‘Which one?’ Our family dynamic changed completely.’: Widow shares ‘beautiful and complicated’ journey after loss
‘I want a divorce.’ My husband’s wedding band was sitting on the doorstep. I needed to escape the disaster that was my life.’: Single mom begins co-parenting journey after divorce, finds love again
“My ex-husband is a welcome guest in our home and one of my closest friends. Whenever I tell people this, I get a skeptical look followed by, ‘So how does your husband feel about it?’ It does get a little weird at times, like when I accidentally call them the wrong name.”
‘Your dad would be so proud of you.’ He honors their father and tells them he loves them too.’: Widow details helping kids adjust to bonus dad, ‘It’s okay to love both’
“Dustin gave me a wedding ring, and he gave tokens to the children. ‘And with that, I promise you forever, too.’ Even though they are starting to call him dad, it doesn’t take away from their birth dad.”
‘At 20, people judged our choice to get married. ‘You have to experience your single years and party it up.’ I didn’t want it. I wanted Marcus.’: Widow remarries after loss, ‘I love two incredible men’
“Then he went on a work trip and never came home. Our children were young, three under 5. I went from a blissfully happy marriage to having all of it ripped from me in an instant. And then came Dustin.”
‘Your son has severe autism.’ I became a divorced mother of 2 post-diagnosis. Josh welcomed him with open arms.’: Special needs mom, bonus dad urge ‘our love knows no bounds’
“I asked myself, ‘Why would God bless other parents with perfectly healthy children? Why ME?’ Little did I know, divine intervention would bring my future husband into our lives at a time we needed him most. He is their biggest cheerleader, wanting to be involved in everything, like an amazing bonus dad should.”
‘My boyfriend took my virginity during the grayest night of my life. I saw myself as used goods. I couldn.’t find my voice.’: Woman finds ‘self-worth’ after divorce, ‘I’m happy and whole’
“I got off the road after three packed years as a pop artist and found myself not knowing who I should be next. I thought I was ugly. I thought I was broken. I designed my next chapter to become truly happy.”
‘I received a call from my husband’s co-worker. ‘Brittany, hurry, run. Allen is hurt really bad.’ My heart wasn’t prepared for what I was about to witness.’: Widow finds ‘love after loss’
“Allen lay on the dusty barn floor face up. He was foaming out the mouth. ‘Brittany, be careful there is a gun.’ All I could do was cry out loud, ‘No! I am pregnant, he can’t be gone!’ I moved back in with my parents. My world was literally turned upside down.”
‘His stomach was swelling. ‘If I don’t make it, I need you to promise me you’ll remarry. We’re not meant to do life by ourselves.’: Woman urges ‘each day is a gift’ after losing husband to Stage IV Stomach Cancer
“‘It’s terminal. No cure. He has 6 months left.’ He grabbed me by the hand and asked if he could have one last dance with me. We slow danced in the middle of his hospital room as the monitors beeped in the background. He was withering away. Don’t wait to take the trip, don’t wait to say I’m sorry. Each day is a gift.”
‘The house is too big for 2 people!’ I had to tell him, and soon. They showed up with nothing but a paper bag.’: Couple adopt 3 siblings, ‘We instantly loved them’
“He was looking to place these 3 children. ‘We think y’all could handle it, and we want to keep them together.’ They were like wild colts and would just run off. We didn’t know how they might react.”
‘My name is Steve.’ I left on a high. Six months into our marriage, I stumbled across something on the computer that sent me into a spiral.’: After divorce, couple co-parents as friends
“We were happy, content, and had a healthy thriving marriage. Through all of this, there was a side of Steve and went unfulfilled and wore on our relationship. I stood frozen as Steve’s eyes caught mine. Something had changed. Something was wrong.”
