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.
‘I mentioned I had dated men of different ethnic backgrounds. He lost it, screaming, yelling, cursing.’: Woman leaves abusive relationship after being ‘berated’ for how she ‘shouldn’t date outside my race’
“I quietly packed my bag in the morning as he was sleeping. I ran out of that house like I’d never see freedom again and jumped in my car. I remember shaking the whole way to work, terrified he was following me. I never looked back.”
‘Hopefully she’ll gain some independence. BUT, but if she doesn’t, she’ll just live with us.’: Parents of daughter with special needs realize they ‘don’t talk about her future’ because it makes it ‘more real’
“We may never grow to be empty-nesters. The words nonchalantly slipped from his lips, but they hit me like a ton of bricks. I’ve never heard him say that. In fact, I’m not sure I’ve ever said it out loud.”
‘One of the last texts he sent me read, ‘You are an absolutely wonderful wife.’ I lost the love of my life.’: Young wife ‘completely blindsided’ by husband’s death to addiction
“We slow-danced in our kitchen days before his death. He made me laugh, he made me smile. He made me feel whole. I am a 26 year old widow. I had no idea he had been using drugs.”
‘What, he’s sick of you already?’ My dad, my best bud, left. He allowed a younger woman to tear the family apart. He was no longer my dad. Instead, her husband.’: Woman overcomes childhood trauma, succeeds in school when ‘no longer under mother’s control’
“I realized at an early age that the only way I was going to escape was through education. I was accepted to every single college I had applied. She refused to provide them with her tax return so I could qualify for Financial Aid. I was crushed. But, I pushed forward.”
‘The first time I fainted, I was 13. This time, I remember too clearly. My heartbeat felt like it was skipping. I started to sweat. My eyes went black.’: Woman finally diagnosed after fainting ‘hundreds of times’ with POTS
“The next thing I knew, I was laying on the floor with my mom and dad both overtop of me, staring at me with concerned expressions. When I faint, I lose consciousness, but the aftermath is always the worst part. I go into ‘autopilot mode’. I’ve ‘woken up,’ but I remember none of it. Everyone else would, though. They were always quick to tell their version of the story.”
‘My stepdad locked me in a cellar. I was 3. My husband bought me diet pills for my birthday.’: Woman overcomes childhood abuse, addict husband to finally ‘get out of that darkness’
“He bought flowers, seemed to care. Then, he complained I had cellulite on our honeymoon. The church knew. According to them, a woman should ‘obey her husband.’ When girls don’t have a father figure, they’re not taught what to look for in a future spouse. My marriage was nothing like it seemed.”
‘Erin, you look great! I can see SUCH a difference in your face.’ I appreciate the compliments, but deep down I’m hurt. People were judging my body before I made adjustments.’ Woman’s pain diagnosed nearly 2 decades after childhood car accident
“My weight went up and down. I refused to go into dressing rooms, refused to get clothes. When I got pregnant, I couldn’t help but worry about how much more ‘fat’ I was going to get. If you’re going to call me overweight, at least do it to my face so I can tell you what the HECK my temple has been through this last decade.”
‘There’s some students you never forget. Your daughter is one of those.’ Mother thanks daughter with autism’s teachers in emotional summer reunion
“When summer began, she bawled every day asking for them. I thought her heart might stop when she saw them; mine sure did. She ran through that shop and jumped into their arms.”
‘I have to check your back pocket. I was told you stole a T-shirt from the gift store.’: Angry Orchard employee interrupts marriage proposal, racially profiles them, says couple
“I got engaged today! But we’ll get to that part later. Let me set the stage. On what was supposed to be one of the best days of my life, I was chased out by security who followed us all the way to the parking lot.”
‘You disgust me.’ I felt the barrel of his gun against the back of my head. This is the exact handgun I had purchased for him.’: Woman overcomes abuse, narrowly escapes death to ‘be a survivor’
“At that moment, I had given up. I knew if he took my life, I wouldn’t have to deal with the pain and suffering he had caused me for so long. In the split second that I had come to terms with what was going to happen, the gun fell from his hand and hit the floor. He slammed the door open, and left.”