“When her head hits the pillow, her mind suddenly wakes up. And then, it gets really freaking mean. ‘Why aren’t you in better shape?’ it hisses in her head. ‘Your husband is aging better than you.’ By two, she’s exhausted from the thoughts, the Googling, and the tears.”

‘She just listens to the ceiling fan spin. Her hurt and doubt soak her pillowcase with tears.’: Woman prays for others struggling with acceptance, ‘Dry her tears, God’

‘You are phenomenal. Never give up. You can do this.’ I realized my student’s mother took the time to write on his pencils. I asked him if he would mind showing me the rest of them.
“I took the pencils he handed me. When I was sharpening them, I noticed writing on a few of them.”