Devon Ledbetter is a writer and editor based in Florida. She holds a BA in English from Florida State University. She currently formerly worked as a Digital Editor with Love What Matters and has previously had works published with College Magazine and Her Campus. Her favorite pastimes include beach trips, baking, and concerts. You can learn more about Devon through her portfolio https://dnl16b.wixsite.com/ledbetter-portfolio
“When you see my swollen stomach, dragging my limp-noodle toddler, and hear me gripe about being tired, consider it a Christmas gift to me by refusing the comment that comes to your mind. I guarantee you, I know I’m lucky.”
“Christopher is 7 years old and cannot sit on his own without falling over. He can’t walk and uses a wheelchair. He hasn’t had food orally for over 5 years, and is fed with a GJ tube. He has never told me he loves me, or said a single word. And I have learned that even without words, his story is going to be a beautiful one.”
“Thank you to the woman in the bathroom yesterday… you are so unaware of amazing kids like my son. I’m sorry you felt the need speak to a stranger’s child the way you did. I’m thankful for you giving us more reason to go out into the world and share my son.”
“About an hour and a half into our trip, we stopped so Christine could have a smoke break. We pulled into one of those truck areas. This is where I snapped the last living photo of my kids.”
“I even had made a joke to my husband, maybe I’ll find some sibling from my dad’s Navy days. This joke is kind of wild now, considering I was the found sibling. I clicked open his high school yearbook records and saw a face looking at me that looked like my 6th grade picture. In this moment, it felt like my heart stopped.”
“I spent my days off at doctor appointments. I’d pull over to quickly vomit on the side of the road. I was relieved to get answers but worried I’d continue to fall apart.”
“I knew he was special when he asked me if I slept on a silk pillowcase after he’d watched an episode of ‘This Is Us.’ All of a sudden he was noticing more things about black people, black hair, black culture. And then here I came along; he wanted to know how to be the best man for me and it all started with a pillowcase. He wanted to know if I needed one so if I ever forgot mine, he’d be prepared.”
“We met when online dating was considered ‘unusual.’ We were two black women from conservative households. We made the life-changing decision to embrace the unknown.”
“Matt (short for Matthew McConachey Bones, yes…’jokingly’ based off of Matthew McConaughey) was perfect. He listened as I praised my own cooking skills, didn’t add to the laundry pile or drive my car around. He wasn’t interested in seeing other people or chatting to girls late at night. He just was. I just was.”
“He told me he loved me and always would. I told him goodbye and to never call me again. He knew better. In my heart, so did I. In just those few moments it felt, yet again, like our connection hadn’t changed at all, even though it had been 12 years. One night out of the blue, around 3:00 p.m. I called him and said, ‘Dinner tonight? I’m ready.’ ‘I’ll see you at 8,’ he said without hesitation.”
