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.
‘She dressed up that 200-pound body. She bought it new clothes. Her confidence oozed out of her.’: Woman reflects on self love, ‘I am going to love myself without losing weight’
“Which was confusing because I weigh 200 lbs. I am not glowing. I am not treating myself as someone who should have a new wardrobe.”
‘We were cleaning out her desk and found two sealed envelopes. I ripped the bandaid off.’: Bereaved mom finds Valentine’s notes from late daughter, ‘Her heart was pure gold’
“I wasn’t ready to go through her room four days after her death. We opened them up and they were Valentine’s Day notes for Jordan and I from Kinsley. I haven’t had much to say. Those words from her were so powerful.”
‘If you think you can get me to change this boundary, it’s not going to happen.’ Her face angry, she sulked off. I took a deep breath.’: Mom urges boundaries ‘protect us and others’
“‘This boundary will not move.’ She sulked off again. I figured we were in for another long day of boundary testing. This time, she came back after a bit.”
‘We’ve known for over a year our sweet toddler struggles from the effects of alcohol during pregnancy. He’s one of the ‘lucky’ ones.’: Mom realizes ‘I am a special needs mom and it’s hard’
“I didn’t want to be that mom. Then, Covid hit and it closed our developmental daycare my 2-year-old attends. And things got real.”
‘You’re a horrible mother for taking your child to a hospital during Corona.’ My 5-year-old unexpectedly broke her bone.’: Mom says ‘I was bullied for bringing her to a hospital’
“I wiped down every surface my daughter touched with my can of Clorox. Then, I got out my camera and documented our experience.”
‘I have ‘cuddle buddies’ of all genders. I have hugged trees and hugged myself. I admit, I’m a marvelous hugger.’: Advocate for physical touch says ‘things came to a screeching halt with COVID-19’
“We need 8 hugs a day for maintenance. We need 12 hugs a day for growth.”
‘I never thought it would come to this. My beloved grandma died when I was 22 weeks pregnant. ‘I don’t feel happy at all.’: Woman with postpartum depression says ‘admitting something is wrong was the first step’
“I closed the bedroom door and said, ‘I’m not here.’ The people who shouted the loudest before I gave birth: ‘I’m here to help you, I’ll come over and look after the baby, do some shopping, etc.’ I haven’t seen or talked to them since my baby was born.”
‘My card declined at the grocery store. I stood outside my car door, ready to jump in, when a car pulled up next to me.’: Mom drawn to faith by random acts of kindness, ‘I’ve been getting signs for a long time’
“As he walked by he said, ‘Hey, I’ve been told to tell you to listen to 89.9 FM.’ I cried. Well as best as I could.”
‘He was hunched over in our guest bathroom, holding a gun. My birth control failed. I found out I was pregnant days before.’: Woman survives traumatic divorce, ‘You always have a voice, use it’
“I panicked, my body uncontrollably shaking. Standing in our apartment hallway, soaked in sweat, I tried to stay calm and rationalize with him. The moment I had always dreamed of in my nightmares was finally here. He was going to kill me and our unborn baby.”
‘I was a having a really crappy day.’ We finished our transaction. ‘I want you to know your awesome attitude really cheered me up.’: Mom surprised by act of kindness by local restaurant, ‘The world needs more people like her’
“A dude greeted me at the door. There’s some writing on my to go bag, but I don’t pay much attention to it. I thank her again, grab my food, and head out the door. When I get home, I realize it. I cried. It was enough to turn my whole day around.”