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 was teased that toothpaste had calories. I hated the whispers and stares. I thought it was cool to not get my period anymore. I’m ashamed of this.’: 43-year- old mom finally confident in body image after struggling with eating disorder most of life
“It intensified when I left my parents’ home and went to college. I drastically reduced my food intake. I hate thinking about the look of shock, disappointment, and concern on my mother’s face. She hadn’t seen me since Christmas, so when I came home for Spring Break, my mother was worried sick over my frail appearance. I felt guilty, but not guilty enough to change.”
‘We lost a beautiful woman. She was a wife and mother. She was kind, upbeat, smiling, and generous.’ Mom reminds women to ‘check on the mom wearing lipstick’ after losing friend to postpartum depression
“She ran circles around the rest of us, volunteering, coordinating and simply ‘making things happen.’ I, like many, were surprised when her death announcement addressed her struggle with postpartum depression. Her social media portrayed happiness and perfection, never indicating she was suffering.”
‘You’re supposed to be glowing, showing off your pregnant belly. Instead, the bones in your chest are popping through as your body wastes away.’ After struggling with IVF, Mom now battles Hyperemesis Gravidarum in surprise pregnancy
“I realized trying to conceal the severity of my symptoms for the sake of ‘keeping my chin up’ was incredibly dangerous. I needed help. My precious baby needed help. My body is forced to keep my baby alive by slowly killing me in the process.”
‘He asked me, very plainly, ‘What do you like to do outside of work?’ I awkwardly tried to explain things that didn’t start with being a Mom. Later he asked, ‘Do you want to get your MBA?’ Mother of 3 goes back to school in her 30s
“I asked her, ‘How did you do it all with 4 children?’ I will never forget her answer. ‘You find a way to make it work.’ That next month, I got pregnant with our third son! My first class began the exact day I was in the hospital delivering Wyatt.”
‘How hard is it to be home with the kids all day?’ I told her she was being ridiculous. Nah! Just Kidding! What I actually did was LISTEN to her.’ How husband helped his wife calm down when she needed it most
“My wife called and told me she was about to crack. The kids had been arguing all day, and making messes. She’d finally had enough and was hiding in our bedroom to get a break. I told her to calm down. I told her she was over reacting, and it wasn’t that bad.”
‘She held his hand and told him she loved him. It’s possible she’s the first person to ever utter those words to him.’: Police officer comforts elderly man in his final days after lifetime of ‘poverty, loneliness’
“You may look at this picture and see a caring granddaughter comforting her beloved grandfather. The truth is, this woman is a police officer. She met Bob while she was on duty. He was homeless most of his life and a stroke eventually left him non-verbal. She was horrified when she saw Bob’s living conditions.”
‘We want friends who stick with us through our worst, but we bolt at the first sign of trouble.’: Woman’s candid take on being a ‘disloyal friend’
“We want friends who reach out and invite us, but we aren’t willing to be the one who takes the first step. We want friends who forgive, but we aren’t willing to be forgiving. Someone has one opinion you don’t like? Bye.”
‘I didn’t just lose her the day she died. I lost her the day I gave birth to my son, but she was missing.’: Daughter recalls late mom missing life moments, but how it’s forced her to ‘find her’
“I found her the day my son was born and the room was filled with everyone except her, but I looked down at my son’s sweet face and knew – they had already met before he came down from Heaven.”
‘His comment was, ‘This is our summer and we aren’t doing anything fun.’ It was my fault, just like everything else.’: Woman’s struggle with severe anxiety and how her boyfriend helps her get through it
“I text my love and apologize. ‘I love you. I’m sorry I’m so emotional. I’m sorry we aren’t out having fun.’ I finally convince him he can go back downstairs, I’ll be ok. I lay back down and continue to cry. He sent me a LONG message. ‘You’re not ‘broken.'”
‘I wrote a stranger. ‘Help me. I’m scared. Please. I need to understand my daughter.’ I begged her to give me the secret. ‘Will we be okay?’ Real-life ‘princess’ helps ease mother’s fears over daughter’s autism diagnosis
“I was desperate to connect with anyone who could say, ‘I get it,’ instead of the ‘I can’t imagines’ that were being hurled my way. And then I stumbled upon a beauty queen.”