“The guy at the gym eating his lean diet has plenty of time. With those abs and big arms, I bet he is just waiting to slide into the DM’s of some Instachick. Well, not ‘ole chubby-guts!”
‘Men with dad-bods make better husbands. Muscly, hard men are not comfortable. Mr. dad-bod is comfy as hell! He got so much cushion you’ll think you’re riding in a Bentley.’
‘What do you do with all the ‘stuff?’ It’s gut-wrenching for parents who lost a child. The dreams of a baby in the nursery are no longer viable, and now you are left with ‘stuff.’
“Our nursery sat untouched. I couldn’t open the door. There was no need for 3 burping pillows. But, there was one box that sat in our basement for nearly 2 years. I held my breath as I opened that final storage box.”
‘My father had an operation. The tall, strong man was shaking uncontrollably. The tubes made him appear unhuman. But he was my dad, and I was drowning.’
“I got a phone call. It was late. I was advised to get on a plane. Dad would not make it through the night. While holding onto his hand, I tried to talk to him, but I could not. All the things I hadn’t said. All the things I hadn’t told him.”
‘He thought he lost his wedding ring. We went back in, couldn’t find it. I asked him again where he thinks he lost it. ‘I don’t know. I just heard it hit the ground.’
“He was confused. He was tired. I couldn’t even be upset. ‘We will find it. It’s ok.’ My heart said we would. My brain knew we wouldn’t. Right then, I accepted he was going to die, and he was going to do that without his ring.”
‘Some of the bravest warriors I know aren’t the ones in uniforms, they are the ones left behind on the home front. Yes, I’m talking about you, military spouse.’: Wife pens appreciation letter to veteran husband
“I see you, military wife/husband. I see you standing quietly by their side as praise is given for their service.”
‘He was her strength, her protector, her everything – until he wasn’t. Nothing, absolutely nothing, prepared us for the affect it would have on Dad.’
“He started calling at 4 a.m. He was extremely agitated. Panicked. He told us we have to come get him – NOW! The father we know and love is almost unrecognizable to either of us.”
‘Marriage 3. I asked him why he treats me the way he does. He said, ‘Maybe because I like it and I thought you wouldn’t leave.’: Woman recounts her four marriages, ‘Love comes in many forms’
“We got married. We adopted a baby girl, and a year after that, had a baby girl. Life was wonderful for 2 years. Then things changed.”
‘It’s time! NOW!’ Everything was a blur. My mind racing, I was carrying someone else’s dreams.’: Surrogate delivers woman’s child after meeting couple that ‘felt like fate’
“I was pushing while nurses were rushing to break down the bed, my husband and a soon-to-be dad on each side, and a soon-to-be mom gloving up to help deliver HER baby. I had the happiest, most uncontrollable tears.”
‘I broke. I didn’t expect it. I didn’t know the bad days would be like THIS.’
“I didn’t eat. Didn’t drink. A day where taking a moment completely set someone into a rage.”
‘I play out the details of that final weekend in my head. Struck by how quickly it was all over. Just like that, she was gone. Gone forever.’
“It intensifies on November 8th. That is the day my soulmate came home for Veterans Day weekend. It was a Thursday evening, as it is this year. She kissed me goodbye, then my life was turned upside down.”