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.
‘Mommy?’ she whispered. ‘Why wasn’t Daddy wearing his superhero mask?’ My heart fell into my stomach. I knew where this was leading.’: Mom says ‘our babies never had to question our superpowers until now’
“‘I love you, Daddy!’ she said. ‘I love you, too, Baby Girl!’ Then she said, ‘Don’t get coronavirus, Daddy!’ He paused. My heart fell into my stomach.”
‘Today my husband to let a few of his best guys go. There’s only so much distance you can put between yourself and another person in his line of work.’: Couple says pandemic ‘has shown us how much we take for granted’
“My husband is considered essential and is still able to work. Everyone at his job is basically walking on eggshells. It’s hard not to worry about him being exposed and bringing the virus home to us. There’s only so much distance you can put between yourself and another person in his line of work.”
‘That could be us,’ I whisper. This time it was a young family guy. I look at him and see my husband, the father of my kids staring back at me.’: Woman with anxiety during pandemic says ‘today I’m making the choice to focus on what I can control’
“Scrolling through my feed, there’s another story. Phrases like ‘young’ and ‘picture of health’ are preceded by a date of death. My stomach drops to remind me that this photo was taken ‘just days before.’ I look at him and I see my husband, and the father of my children staring back at me.”
‘My little sister came into my room bawling her eyes out. ‘Something is wrong in Mommy’s room. I heard screaming, a thud, and then nothing.’: Son reflects on mother’s domestic abuse ordeal, ‘No matter what demons you’re battling, you can overcome’
“Jay was a youth minister who had a church in my hometown. Everyone loved him. The only thing I heard was, ‘Don’t ever accuse me of anything ever again.’ I called the cops and grabbed my baseball bat. My shirt was soaked with my sweat and blood.”
‘We sold our home and belongings. We were given orders to stay at home, except unlike many, home for us is a hotel room.’: Traveling family thanks hospitality workers, ‘No matter what, they take it in stride’
“To the young lady at the front desk that my husband probably scared to death as he ran downstairs at 3 a.m., desperately seeking new bedding: They said SIX feet, lady. Seeing this industry’s willingness to continue serving so many new faces makes them all very, very brave to me.”
‘I found myself sitting on the floor, sobbing. For each scream, he threw his head back into my sternum as hard as he could.’: Mom says ‘Coronavirus gave me the opportunity to reconnect with my son’
“It wasn’t until about two weeks ago when I was on the phone with my mom when I realized that the Kangaroo hadn’t tried to hurt me all day. Coronavirus gave me my son back.”
‘He said, ‘Mattie, where I send Hannah, she won’t know the language. Teach her MY language.’: Mother of special needs child finds comfort in faith, ‘Their purpose is greater than their diagnosis’
“She only knew 12 letters, struggled to write her name, and was fighting against a speech and learning delay. I was so afraid of what the next year would bring.”
‘She held my hand and asked, ‘Mama, can you please tell me what’s going on at the hospital? I’m scared.’ She’s 7 years old.’: Nurse mom asks others to realize ‘this isn’t some joke, this is real’
“There are people out there who are claiming this is a hoax, that it’s some made up BS. She’s had a mama who has worked in the ER her whole life, but she knows something is wrong. She’s pulled me aside twice now, asking me to stay home. ‘Mama, you have asthma and have a higher risk.’ She’s 7 years old. Let that sink in.”
‘I drank my coffee and cried, like every day since February 14th. I wonder what her outfit would have looked like.’: On first holiday without daughter, mom says ‘our picture-perfect family isn’t picture-perfect anymore’
“Everyone kept texting and telling us they love us, they are thinking of us, and they know how hard Easter is going to be. If it were up to me, I would have just skipped Easter entirely. Our picture-perfect family really isn’t picture-perfect anymore.”
‘Dad said WHAT?!’ Casey dropped the ball. In less than 24 hours, both kids have been pooped on, bit, scratched.’: Mom says ‘kids are not only smart, they’re calculated’ after family gets guinea pig
“‘Mom, I’ve been thinking about something but please don’t say ‘no’ until I’ve said everything I have to say.’ I ended the conversation with, ‘I need to talk to dad about it.’ ‘But Daddy said yes!’ Apparently, guinea pigs are exempt from this unwritten rule.”