“I was able to clear my windshield long enough to witness the most brave act of service. I drove by in awe. A man willing to risk his own safety to safeguard someone he didn’t even know.”
‘A stranger came to the rescue. An older gentleman parked in front of the wrecked vehicle, standing in the storm.’: Woman shocked by stranger’s act of kindness, ‘this was an act of true heroism’
‘Scott, a 30-year-old picture of health, was on the Treadmill before work. The cleaning lady found him.’: Woman loses Border Patrol Agent husband to sudden heart attack, finds new partner who ‘allows me to love 2 men at the same time’
“‘There’s been an accident.’ Silence. My doorbell rang. 6 uniformed agents were at my front door. ‘Leave your daughter here, they will watch her, you need to come with me.’ I was hesitant, but sensed the urgency in their voices. No one knows how long he had been laying there. I froze. I kept thinking it was a joke. Scott was a huge prankster. I just kept hoping his eyes would open.”
‘I love you, Daddy.’ She held his picture tight, wore his cowboy hat. He was gone, it brought her to tears.’: 4-year-old’s father dies in car crash, ‘now her world is upside down’
“At midnight, we were all asleep. My mother-in-law called, crying. ‘Aaron got into an accident. He is dead.’ I hung up the phone without saying a word. I was so scared to tell my husband. I stared at him for a moment. ‘It’s Aaron.’ I’ll never forget seeing him in so much pain. We had to tell his daughter. ‘You know your daddy loves you a bunch?’ She looked so confused.”
‘Something awful has happened. We need to find Becca.’ I felt it in my bones. She was reaching out to me.’: Mom loses daughter to tragic flood accident
“Around 4 p.m., I texted Becca to see if she was on her way. No reply. No big deal. At exactly 4:30, something changed. ‘I am sending someone to find you if you don’t call me back.’ It was as if every cell, idea, known fact in the universe shifted for me. It wasn’t of this world.”
‘What would we do if someone started shooting?,’ I wondered in church. I could feel my heart racing.’: Mom says her fear can be ‘crippling’ following mass shootings, but knows there will ‘always be light’
“Where were the exits? How would I protect my kids? I hate that my mind was in a place of fear in church of all places. I often run to the grocery store or Target with all 3 of my kids. How will I protect them if someone started shooting? How can I keep them safe? How can I teach them to protect themselves? Fear can be crippling. But there will also always be light.”
‘WHAT ABOUT THIS MONTH. LETS GET MARRIED?!’ Part of me was kidding. I walked down the aisle as a 17-year-old, wiped my tears.’: Teen mom now mother to 10 kids, ‘We’re living BIG!’
“‘Don’t settle. 17-year-old’s aren’t supposed to get married! You’ll ruin your life!!’ We’d fantasized about an early June wedding at sunset the following year. Life roared to a halt. ‘Pregnant,’ it read. Wife I was ready for, but mother?! ‘I’m not supposed to be a mama yet!’ Reality hit. ‘We’ve found your son to be several weeks premature. We’ve also discovered a mass.’ Oh our hearts. I can feel the shatter to this day. At 29, we welcomed our 10th precious baby at home.”
‘Leah, this is your hell, but we’ve got to walk through it.’ Becoming a single mother was an adjustment I never anticipated. Our romantic relationship ended, but it served a mighty purpose.’
“It didn’t work out. He wasn’t mine to keep, but I finally realized what our relationship was meant for. I thank my daughter’s father for giving me the greatest gift I could ever know.”
‘I realized my worst nightmare had come true. I was truly alone, ‘white-knuckling’ it. I did a 180 and completely turned my life around. Or, so I thought.’
“I’m now a successful and contributing member of society, with a picture-perfect life. However, looks can be deceiving – because I had a secret.”
‘I remember how dark and frigid the inside was. It was completely empty. Not one piece of furniture. Nothing. I wandered into a room off to the side. I walked towards it, and instantly got chills.’
“When he got off the phone he said, ‘What do you think? Should we do this?’ I asked if he had seen what was on the wall and he said no. I showed him the picture. When he looked back at me, he had big tears streaming down his cheeks.”
‘Then came the call. ‘Come to NYC and get your daughter. She’ll land in 3 days!’ We immediately jumped on the plane, but then a hiccup.’
“Just 2 days later we got a text in our agency group. ‘Who was the family that was interested in a deaf child?’ Well that was us, and now we are going to adopt 2 girls?! No, we couldn’t do that. So we had a HUGE decision to make.”
