“For the first time, she realized she was ‘different.’ This was her cascading moment. This meant something. I put it out there, hoping for ideas, suggestions, anything. And the glorious interconnectivity of the internet answered back.”
‘Mom, I don’t like my hands.’ Her gloves always had an extra space. She came to me with her piggy bank, begging for four-fingered gloves.’: Little girl with limb difference ‘beaming with joy’ after gifted custom gloves
‘Mom, what color is my skin?’ I should have told you. Instead I asked, ‘Why does it matter?’: Mom urges ‘we are not all the same, but we are all magnificently unique’
“My dear son, I have a confession to make: I lied to you. I’m here to tell you today, I was wrong.”
‘The bride who refused to cover her birthmark.’ People wonder why I’m not ashamed.’: Woman with nevus birthmark celebrates her ‘distinctive look,’ reminds us to ‘love ourselves’
“At church, I made eye contact with a lady. She gestured for me to remove my birthmark from my face. I ignored her, but every time I gazed her direction, she’d make the same gesture. At the end of the service, the pastor asked if anyone had final remarks. She stood up. ‘I want the young lady to remove what’s was on her face.’ I was 9 years old.”
‘I’m not everyone’s cup of tea. I’m too loud, too quiet. We try so hard to bend 50 different ways to fit a mold, but why? For what?’: Woman learns to accept herself as is
“We over-analyze texts. We wonder why we didn’t get the invite. We see glances, whispers and assume they’re directed at us. We waste so much of our time worrying about other people’s opinions only to leave ourselves feeling empty. But, why? For what? This is YOUR journey. Stop doubting your own decisions. Stop looking over your shoulder. Stop trying to please everyone else.”
‘When you hear, ‘twin one is fine, but…’ your life is about to change. When I finally saw him after his birth, I could hardly process the absence. It was a blank, featureless canvas.’
“When I woke hours later, my partner and I were met by the serious face of one of the pediatricians. There is no way to explain how I felt at that moment, other than devastated. I was convinced I must have done something during my pregnancy to cause this.”
