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, kids were yelling and happy, but I’m scared.’ She tearfully told me students poured into the hallways after dismissal. I choked back sobs.’: Mom says ‘if we are engaged, we can teach our kids coping skills and resiliency’
“I knew my husband was there to get her but I was too far away in that moment. I know that panic because I’ve had it too. These are the generations that were born and raised post 9-11. They are a generation that grew up practicing active shooter drills at school. Yet they kept going to school. Until now.”
‘My youngest son had a stroke while in the check-out line at the grocery store.’: Mom to son with heart disease says ‘it kills more than corona, but I won’t let either stop our lives’
“Even though we’ve been told to ‘quarantine,’ that doesn’t mean I’m going to allow anxiety steal our daily joy we have fought so hard for. We’ve been given more time, and we’re not going to take it for granted.”
‘You are being asked to substitute teach without adequate training or preparation. Do not try to copy school at home.’: Mom of 7 reminds quarantined parents ‘there’s no right or wrong here’
“No training or preparation. This would not be allowed in our classrooms. Resist the urge to plan every minute. Have reasonable expectations or no expectations at all.”
‘Do these things actually work?’ I paid $14.99 for these suckers. I’m going all in.’: Woman shares hilarious sticky bra fail, ‘I chose poorly’
“I have gathered you here to talk about my boobs. I think most of us are skeptical about sticky bras for obvious reasons. Y’all, I have kids. These are working girls. I am a survivor. I assumed I could handle a floppy boob sticker.”
‘If we do it right, the connecting can be more powerful than the distancing.’: Mom says ‘its a choice to focus on the parts of this we won’t get back when things go back to normal’
“I’ve seen generosity like never before. People buying supplies for those most vulnerable. We have had more family meals together in one day than in the last month. If we do it right, the connecting can be more powerful than the distancing.”
‘She called me in hysterics. ‘Mom, we have to do something. We can’t let it suffer.’: After witnessing wounded deer, mom and daughter realize ‘how truly fragile and beautiful life is’
“There we were, crumpled on the side of the highway, weeping over a dying deer. She wanted so desperately to help ease the animal’s suffering as it struggled to breathe. ‘Oh, Mom,’ my daughter whispered. We prayed her suffering would not linger for long.”
‘We’d been invited to be babysitters for our first grandchild. ‘Mom I love you, but please reconsider moving the trip.’: Disappointed grandma cancels trip to visit family due to COVID-19
“‘Mom, you’re missing the point. Neither of you should be traveling. What if I already have it?'”
‘My job is affected. I’m worried for my husband who is a paramedic. I have a right to be angry, confused, scared, hopeful.’: During coronavirus pandemic, woman urges ‘be compassionate, stand together’
“Medical personnel will be asked to put their career before their or their families health, spouses of first responders wait for the call of quarantine, children who rely on schools will suffer, our elderly in nursing homes are at risk. Right now, at this moment, it’s happening. We all need to do our part.”
‘I found a handwritten note in our mailbox that said, ‘Please tell me anything you need, and I will pick it up for you.’ I heaved a sigh of relief.’: Woman says ‘the angels among us reassured me the world is still a good place to be’
“I was trying to stock up on supplies because my husband and I fit many of the categories for this virus to be life-threatening: over 65–check, diabetes—check, lung issues—check, immune compromised—check. Our doctor told us, ‘You need to prepare to be home for 2 months.’ In the midst of all the anxieties and panic shopping, I learned a great deal about kindness.”
‘I watched him bury his head in his hands and sob. ‘I’m not going anywhere, I need you. The kids need us.’ He grabbed my face. ‘We are going to make it.’: After losing daughter to flu woman says ‘I only thought I loved him before’
“I have heard that tragic events like this can break up a marriage. I was terrified that not only was I going to have to continue living this life without my daughter, but I was going to lose my best friend and the only person who could comfort me. He grabbed my face and whispered in my ear, ‘I’m not going anywhere.’ I only thought I loved him before.”