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 dreaming of our baby’s future one day, then that future disappeared within seconds. I am a real woman who experienced a real loss.’: After miscarriage, woman declares, ‘I am not a taboo’
“I poked out my belly as far as I could and wanted to believe so badly there was still a life growing inside. This was supposed to be the first picture to document my first pregnancy. At the time, I did not know.”
‘Why don’t you get us some lottery tickets?’ I couldn’t imagine what he could be thinking. Tears streamed down my face.’: Woman details parents’ drug addiction and desire to break the cycle
“I was 19 years old when I watched my parents shoot up heroin at our kitchen table. This is a picture of what I have left of my dad. I held my father’s hand as they told him there was nothing they could do.”
‘I’m trying mommy, I’m trying. I love you.’ When I looked down, I saw blood. Why am I being punished?’: After miscarriage, woman has miracle baby, ‘I would do it over and over again for her.’
“Why did we have to wait until 12 weeks? That was a stupid rule. After the wedding, we ended up telling pretty much everyone. Family, friends.Then I woke up to use the bathroom. When I looked down, I saw blood.”
‘I’m going to be a nurse like you, mom!’ You are going to change the world, one patient at a time.’: Nurse pens letter to future child, ‘Healthcare needs you’
“It’s not glamorous. Most of the time it’s quite the opposite. Messy. Ugly. Difficult. Painful. Exhausting. You will get burnt out and want to quit. But don’t you dare forget your why. Remember, it’s so worth it.”
‘I got pregnant. I can still hear my mom say, ‘Oh Jennifer!’ when I told her.’: Woman credits husband for ‘saving her life’ and finally receiving bipolar diagnoses
“What the people at church did to me was beyond what I even knew until MANY years later. I was a good kid. But I look at it differently now. I wasn’t bad; I had an illness.”
‘No wonder you don’t have friends.’ Did I do something wrong? I wanted to be someone’s ultimate best friend.’: After friendship struggles, woman realizes ‘I need to be my own best friend first’
“Everyone was fake or using me. I had NO ONE to talk to when I ended things. And who would even want to listen? ‘You’re going to have to just get over it.’ I was the only part of the tribe that wilted.”
‘I started to cry. You should never have to sit that far away from your friends.’: Mom talks social distancing and kids, ‘You don’t have to be emotionally distant’
“It’s just a couple kids sharing a table. There’s nothing I can do. But you should never have to sit that far away from your friends. I know it’s smart. I know it’s necessary. Then I stopped and I started to cry.”
‘Some days, I make myself the butt of the joke. I tell self-deprecating stories. Other days I wonder if I’ll only ever be the butt of the joke. Nothing more.’: Woman discusses ‘heights and the heartache’ of life
“I lie in bed, wondering if I’m just a lonely human with an active imagination. I hold a warm pile of laundry close to my chest and cry. We weren’t made to be all Instagram-filtered and newsfeed-algorithmed.”
‘You know we work at the same Kroger, right? I’m a cashier.’ His opening line didn’t impress me. Something told me to respond.’: Woman with hearing loss finds true love who allows her to be herself
“His demeanor was off-putting. I am deaf in my right ear, and wear a hearing aid in my left ear. It was one of the most excruciating first dates I’ve ever had. ‘I’m going back to his place, just so you know.’ I was unsure if he was alluding to something sexual.”
‘Can you take 3 siblings?’ You question yourself. Am I in over my head? Don’t let the pain stop you.’: Foster mom gives tips on how to be successful, ‘Love is what defines a family’
“Who would be calling at this time of night? ‘Would you be interested in taking them?’ Your heart quickens and your breath deepens, both to an uncomfortable level. ‘Three kids? Really?’ You feel obligated to say yes.”