“‘Girl, run the other way!’ My husband told me a story tonight about a couple who’d been together many years and decided to divorce. ‘They still loved each other, but have become different people.’ They were together for 22 years. This made me so so sad.”
‘Say you love them and mean it. Life is so short. Stop hinting around about what you want and just say it. Be happy with your person or don’t get married.’: Woman reminds us ‘love happens not only in the sunshine but also in the shadows’
‘I was completely caught off guard when the boy next door from my childhood friend-requested me on Facebook. ‘Sometimes a simple hello can open a door. Great smile.’: After divorce and bad luck in love, woman finds her ‘forever’
“Gag me with a spoon, right? I wasn’t sure it was true. I mean, who would leave this fine specimen of the male species? He asked for my number and we agreed to meet for coffee. It was snowing, pretty hard. This guy offerred to drive over an hour in it to see me. This was a big. freaking. deal.”
‘Marry the man who will take the screaming baby as soon as he gets home from a long day at work and tells you to go grab a latte.’: Woman urges ‘who you marry matters’
“The roses on the counter don’t mean a dang thing when your new baby has been inconsolably crying for three hours straight. When you haven’t left the house in a week, haven’t showered, and can’t remember the last time you brushed your teeth. Marry the man who hovers over your daughter at bath time every single night and prays over her sweet life.”
‘Here’s to the girl dads who watch princess movies, slow dance in the kitchen, and let tiny hands put polish on their big toes.’: Mom pens appreciation letter to girl dads, ‘You are building hearts with your construction hands’
“Here’s to the girl dads who babysit dolls and pause wrestling matches to conduct tea parties. To the dads who help take off training wheels, tighten seatbelt straps, and fasten car seats. To the guys guy covered in tattoos who has spent so many years learning to hold on, and will spend the rest of your lives learning to let go. You are building hearts with your construction hands.”
‘She’s been hard to live with. She’s been angry, quick to argue. I promise it’s not always you. It’s everything else.’: Woman pens letter to partners of stressed moms, ‘Her story needs a hero, and you’re the perfect part’
“What if you go home today and notice she’s still angry, frustrated, and (ridiculously) quick to argue. What if, instead of choosing to join her chaos, you choose to help settle it? Her story really, really needs a hero…and I think you’re perfect for the part.”
‘I know they’re super cute, but please don’t call my sons ‘heartbreakers.’: Boy mom says ‘let’s raise men who move through the world with their hearts forward’
“I’m not raising heartbreakers. I’m raising sons who care for the hearts of others AND who tune into the frequency of their own heart. Our boys need more options than the stock characters of Boring Nice Guy and Hot Heartbreaker. Masculinity can come from the heart.”
‘A nurse looked me in the eye. ‘It’s not your fault.’ A needle dug into my arm while I fought the oxygen mask over my face.’: Woman comes back to life after dying in child birth, ‘The odds were stacked against me’
“The nurses wheeled me into the cold, brightly lit room. Panic set in as I drifted to sleep. I never got to meet my son on his birthday. Never got to be the first to look into his eyes. I went into full cardiac arrest. After 58 minutes of intense efforts to shock my heart into beating again, I was placed on life support. The day David became a dad was also the day he was faced with losing his wife. I awoke days later surrounded by tubes, wires, beeping machines, and a picture of our baby. ‘Did it not go well?’ I struggled to get the words out.”
‘He doesn’t mind me in the dirtiest pair of leggings or the most pristine outfit I own. He’s just there, always, ready.’: Mom of 3 reminds busy parents that ‘perfection isn’t the goal. Love is.’
“I will always remember these mornings, starting with the doorway being bombarded by a handful of babies ready to snuggle up in our bed. When the smell of freshly brewed coffee fills the house amidst the chaos of sticky, syrupy pancake hugs, and toy-take-away battles. Trying to zip jackets, change diapers, and chase down the toddler who took his pants off again.”
‘I had plans to graduate. We’d both just gotten good jobs. Why was this happening to us NOW?’: Young mom says age doesn’t matter, ‘We will always be exactly where we need to be’
“My life as I knew it came to a screeching halt at the sight of a little pink plus sign. When I became pregnant at 21, I felt like the world was ending. Society ruined this for us. We were so convinced we had to follow this schedule of ‘happenings.’ I was robbed of the blissful success in conceiving.”
‘I feel a little nervous.’ Hours later, I got a text from his brother. ‘Mel, I’m so sorry. Scott didn’t make it.’ Huh? My husband is dead in Idaho?’: Woman loses husband to ‘perfect storm’ of complications from tonsillectomy for sleep apnea
“Scott had scheduled surgery to get his tonsils out and his septum straightened out to help get rid of the sleep apnea. He stood up with glazed eyes and said, ‘I feel a little nervous.’ ‘Do you think you’re going to die?’ I thought I was so funny. The last text I sent him that night was, ‘Love you, hope tomorrow is a better day!’ I got a text from his brother. Apparently, my husband is dead in Idaho? This wasn’t real.”
