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.
‘He looked at me sadly. ‘But I just want to tell you one more thing!’ I huffed and said, ‘No, go to bed!’: Mom advocates for mental health
“‘Mommy is on empty.’ As I got up, he was standing there, looking at me. I couldn’t speak because I was trying not to cry like a harpooned whale.”
‘Mom, I just hate school.’ My sweet boy getting ready for school, echoing what he’s said for days. See, he really just wants to play.’: Mom writes note to son ‘wishing away school’
“He doesn’t fit the mold, and that’s okay.”
‘Someone told me they empathize and really feel for me.’ I get a punch to my tummy each time. Don’t pity us!’: Mom of autistic son says ‘do not think we live a life of sadness’
“Please do not pity us, do not feel sorry for us, and do not think we live a life of sadness. He puts a smile on my face by just saying, ‘mommy.’”
‘I couldn’t find an Uber. A few drinks in was the sweet spot. I needed to go home. In the moment, I felt sorry for him.’: Abuse survivor recounts chilling night
“At about 4 a.m. we were winding down. I needed to get back to my daughter. I wish I could say I ended it right then. We loaded up and headed back to the hotel. I should’ve gone home. I thought somehow I could fix him.”
‘OH MAH GAHD SON, don’t touch it! HOW LONG HAVE YOU HAD THIS?’ I’m ready to bleach everything in sight, including my son.’: Mom hilariously recounts Show and Tell gone wrong
“His eyes light up and he goes, ‘OOOOOH! Let me outside, Mommy. I know JUST THE THING!’ Now pause. This is where I tell you for the last three days, I’ve been complaining our porch smells horrible.”
‘Real talk: I am tired. I’ve gained 20 pounds, and I miss my church family. This isn’t normal. It isn’t okay.’: Woman struggling with mental health says ‘It’s normal to feel done and over it’
“The internet is losing it’s mind. My mental health is in the toilet. We simply can’t escape it. I am also tired of pretending.”
‘She’s afraid one day you’ll pack your stuff and leave because you’ve had enough. She worries about you, more than she worries about herself.’: Woman pens thoughtful message to husband about anxiety
“It’s the fear and the thoughts whirling causing her frustrations. And she wishes it didn’t. Every day is an overwhelming experience for her. And she’s afraid she will lose you.”
‘I love you, Mommy. I love you. MOMMY!’ She interrupted her daddy’s beratements. He was a pastor and he ‘never’ laid a hand on me.’: Domestic abuse survivor urges ‘every soul has the power to fight’
“That—it turns out—was the slap in the face I needed. I was a victim of domestic violence. After all, he was a pastor and he never laid a hand on me.”
‘She sent a text: ‘Hey, are you doing that thing where you don’t take my calls?’ I was okay, and I kind of wasn’t.’: Woman struggling with mental health says ‘it’s OK to disappear’
“I disappear a lot. I will be calling my friends, texting my family and the next week… *poof* I’m gone. Last week, friend checked in on me. I was okay, and I kind of wasn’t. ‘Hey you are doing that thing where you don’t take my calls?'”
‘You know, you can prevent that.’ We conceived another child out of wed-lock. I don’t have a kid-collecting complex.’: Mom of 9 grateful for ‘the gift of motherhood’
“My water broke at 22 weeks. I spent weeks on bedrest at home with 4 kids under 4. We spent 8 weeks separated, me in a hospital bed, begging God to bring my boy into the world healthy.”