“As a society, we do a great job in the initial days following a death. But our support often quickly fades away, leaving our friends who have suffered the loss of their loved one to suffer yet another loss — the loss of their support network.”
Therapist Shares 6 Ways To Support Your Grieving Friends Long Term
‘What if this knife lands on my baby? What if my toddler misplaces a step and breaks his neck? Horrible, graphic images held me prisoner in my mind.’: Mom candidly opens up about intrusive postpartum thoughts
“Perfectly ordinary and happy scenarios were quickly overrun by irrational thoughts. I so badly wanted to be that unruffled mom, but my mind was constantly painting ugly pictures around the beautiful pages of our lives. I was a prisoner in my own head.”
‘We moved in after 5 months of dating. Not because we were madly in love, but because of the pandemic. We had a 50/50 chance of this working out.’: Woman shares pandemic love story
“We had a 50/50 chance of working out. My emotions had me laughing at the irony of finally finding a boyfriend after being single for five years – yet, here we were, in the middle of a pandemic on lockdown.”
‘I’m the girl who is dating to marry in a generation focused on ‘talking’ and hooking up.’: Young woman says ‘I’m a rare breed, and that’s OK’
“The ‘talking’ stage leaves so many holes and room for error and miscommunication. Call me old school, but I don’t want to know quick facts, I want to get to know each other deep down.”
‘I read a viral post about romance that read, ‘Marry the person who…’ The thing is, we marry the person who ticks our boxes.’: Woman declares ‘love isn’t a romance movie, it’s HARD work’
“People really love to paint the dream it isn’t. It’s always a simple message that declares lifelong love. Marry the person who will see you fart and pick your nose, who won’t care if you’ve gained 50 pounds.”
‘We couldn’t possibly have known. There was so much more ahead of us.’: Woman reminisces on being a clueless new mother, ‘You’ll all be OK because you already know the secret, how to love this baby’
“I just found this picture behind another photo in a frame and I’ve unearthed a memory. I see young me, about 3 weeks into my mom journey. I couldn’t possibly have known. And I’m glad I didn’t.”
‘I didn’t have to be strong around my best friends. They were my shoulders to cry and scream on.’: Woman thanks ‘true friendships’ for getting her through rough year
“This year started off rough. I had heart surgery and later got thyroid cancer. I was strong for everyone around me. However, I wasn’t strong for myself. When no one was around, I cried, a lot. Do you know what really helped me? My two best friends. They were strong for me. That’s the thing with true friendships. Not the ‘get the most likes on Instagram’ friendships – the real, raw friendships. We care about is each other. It’s that simple.”
‘You’re pregnant. It’s a girl. There’s something wrong. We don’t know if she’ll ever speak.’: Daughter diagnosed with rare Cri Du Chat, meaning ‘Cry of the Cat’
“Each day, we wait and wonder. Will there be a new word? Does she understand ours? Being a mother and knowing how to speak to your child that cannot speak. When they create the word for that – let me know.”
‘You signed your rights over. I was so mad you two were laughing, carrying on like it was no big deal.’: Mom pens emotional letter to ex, ‘She’s 8-years-old now’
“You were DAD OF THE YEAR! That’s literally all you gave her, one year. You told everyone I was keeping her from you, but you just didn’t bother to show up to your scheduled visitations. You knew my phone number, you knew my address. Your family did, too. Y’all just didn’t care. You were a stranger to her and, for some reason, you and your fiancé just couldn’t understand why.”
‘He wasn’t walking or talking. I chalked it up to an overactive sister who adored getting everything for him. The pediatrician agreed, so I left.’: After autism diagnosis, Mom ‘mourns the loss of a son I never had, but will never stop fighting’
“I left the office with a smile on my face. I brought my son back to the car and teared up as I put him in. I refused to cry in front of him. I couldn’t show him I was scared. ‘Autism.’ As soon as they said it, my breath caught. I acted cool and collected. I acted like it was all to be expected. I acted. For everyone else’s benefit.”
