LJ Herman is a former editor at Love What Matters and lives in Colorado. LJ is a concert, ticket and technology enthusiast. He has seen the Dave Mathews Band over one hundred times and counting.
‘Stop crying tears over the group that doesn’t want you. Stop pleasing everyone. Stop thinking invitations from cool kids will make you feel complete.’: Woman encourages her younger self ‘you create your own happiness’
“Stop trying so hard, little girl. Know who you are. Know you are strong. Know you are smart. Know you have a voice, are capable and worthy. Know you’re never ever alone.”
‘I fed him the F-word. Yes, formula.’: Mother admits she ‘hated breastfeeding’ after trying every remedy for newborn diagnosed with failure to thrive
“I had tried 13 different bottles at this point. I walked around with the nipples of each bottle in my bra all day long, so they would get my scent on them. Friends tried. My husband tried. But the boy just wanted my boob. The doctor’s advice? Feed every 2 hours. Tell this to an already sleep-deprived mom whose baby was being passed around from specialist to specialist like a hot potato.”
‘Lucky you,’ she replied with an eye roll. Yes, lucky me. My children have autism.’: Mom explains the ‘one time’ she’s envied is ‘when we get to enter an airplane first’
“I was waiting to pre-board a plane with my two young children when another passenger grabbed my shoulder. She told me I needed to wait for family boarding. I responded it was indeed our turn to go. ‘How’d you manage that?’ she asked. ‘We have different circumstances,’ I replied.”
‘She growled that nothing was wrong. She skulked off. ‘Would you like a hug?’ She paused, and moved closer.’: Mom’s heart aches for daughter whose friends ‘never have time for her’
“I wrapped my arms around her, kissed her head, and told her I love her. Her arms tightened around me. We stood there quietly, and then her words came in a rush. She has struggled with friendships. I hate this for her. Then, she sobs.”
‘My husband is still alive because of a nightstand. A nightstand I purchased 6 months prior, when we moved into our dream home.’: Wife credits ‘magic, miracles’ for her husband still being alive after his heart stopped
“I awoke to the worst kind of alarm clock: a thud. My healthy, 31-year old husband hitting the floor. When his heart stopped, and his body dropped, he didn’t just fall gracefully to the ground. He hit our bedside table and broke his back. That break restarted his heart. Miracle.”
‘When she left for Heaven, my mom felt she didn’t leave us with much. She apologized, wishing she had more to give us, a fancy house or nice car.’: Daughter hopes late mother knows she left her with ‘more than she could have ever dreamed’
“She said sorry so many times in the end that I lost count of how often she mentioned it. I wish I would have stopped right there in the middle of all that chaos that death brings and all the stress and regret that comes with it, and just grabbed her hand.”
‘You spent 30 years chasing something, only to get ahold of it and realize your dream is completely, utterly exhausting.’: Mom says family life isn’t for the ‘faint of heart,’ but tender moments make it all worth it
“Family life will nickel and dime you. It’ll squeeze you until you’ve got nothing left. Then it’ll squeeze you even harder. And right when you think you’re completely tapped out and you don’t have what it takes… You walk in on a moment like this.”
‘I can’t tell you about your future because I need to tell your past.’: Fortune teller reminds mom suffering from trauma, PTSD she is a ‘hero’ for parenting with mental illness
“A man had a sign that said, ‘Tell your future for a gold coin.’ I laughed, and told him my name. He stared at me for a while, told me I had mysterious eyes, then finally said, ‘Tell little Laura it’s okay. She’s safe now. Know it’s going to be ok.’”
‘How much is the yarn?’ She replied, ‘It’s 5 dollars. My grandma started a project, but never finished. She passed away.’: Stranger’s act of kindness carrying on a grandmother’s legacy brings granddaughter to tears
“She said, ‘I’m so sorry for your loss,’ and came home with the bag. At home, she opened the bag, beneath the yarn, to see a granny square blanket that had been started. Mom finished the blanket and drove to the house where the garage sale was. The granddaughter was in tears and hugged her.”
‘I was on social media, and there it was. Yet ANOTHER story about a mother being shamed for her parenting choices.’: Fed up mom says ‘real friends’ don’t care about these ‘silly arguments’
“All I could think in that moment was… where do you find these people?!”