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.
‘All of a sudden, I hear the doctor say, ‘She’s bleeding out!’ My baby is stripped from my chest. I knew if I freaked out, I would just lose blood faster. I can see the fear in my husband’s eyes.’: Mom describes traumatic birth
“I remember thinking, ‘This is how I’m going to go… But I don’t want Bobby to have to be a single father!’ Little did I know he was thinking the same thing.”
No Matter How Much Time Passes, I Will Forever Grieve My Mom
“No matter how long you’ve known that final goodbye was coming, you’ll never be ready.”
‘Men with dad-bods make better husbands. Muscly, hard men are not comfortable. Mr. dad-bod is comfy as hell! He got so much cushion you’ll think you’re riding in a Bentley.’
“The guy at the gym eating his lean diet has plenty of time. With those abs and big arms, I bet he is just waiting to slide into the DM’s of some Instachick. Well, not ‘ole chubby-guts!”
‘My father had an operation. The tall, strong man was shaking uncontrollably. The tubes made him appear unhuman. But he was my dad, and I was drowning.’
“I got a phone call. It was late. I was advised to get on a plane. Dad would not make it through the night. While holding onto his hand, I tried to talk to him, but I could not. All the things I hadn’t said. All the things I hadn’t told him.”
‘I broke. I didn’t expect it. I didn’t know the bad days would be like THIS.’
“I didn’t eat. Didn’t drink. A day where taking a moment completely set someone into a rage.”
‘Do you want to tell me about her?’ I’ll never forget the way you leaned in, just like we were friends, and asked me about Dorothy.’: Mom’s heartfelt thanks to nurses for ‘bringing her back’ after newborn daughter’s death
“Thank you to the nurse who dressed my baby and took her picture. Thank you for whispering to me your story about your own child who was born still. Your presence felt too good to be true.”
‘This is the face of a momma who had a rough night, and then had a rough morning. Who is having a hard time forgiving herself for yelling. Who feels guilty, but isn’t entirely sure why.’
“Give yourself some grace, change your thoughts from ‘I can’t’ to ‘I will,’ and dry those pretty eyes. You’ve got this.”
I Thought My Child Had ADHD—Turns Out, It Was A Treatable Sleep Disorder
“Children should not breathe through their mouths. Not while awake, not while asleep. Never.”
‘She stuck around. Why? Why won’t she just leave? We are all miserable and it’s because of me. Doesn’t she see that?’: Man works to overcome his PTSD
“My wife and son would come home and tip toe around me as my anger would rear its ugly head. Unbeknownst to me, my wife was scared to be out of the house for too long as that caused my anger to rise as well. ‘What the f*ck were you doing? You know I am f*cked up and can’t ‘babysit’ our son!,’ I would shout.”
‘I get it. I finally get it. You see moms committing suicide. And I couldn’t understand it. How do you leave your kids behind like that?’
“And then everybody posts, ‘Oh, I never knew. She didn’t say anything. She seemed okay.’ She TOLD you.”