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.
‘You’re on an island, Melanie; an island alone!’ She yelled at me. Her words were an attempt at shaming me.’: Woman claims that being an ‘island’ allows us to grow in ways we never could before
“Some say my actions will be frighteningly regrettable. Others say I should be ashamed. Don’t get me wrong, there is a ton of shame. The shame comes when people ask how my family is and I cannot tell them my dark truths. Surely, I’m the only one. So, I keep them inside. Until now.”
‘You can come, but she’s in a coma. She’s not going to wake up.’ It was days before Michelle passed away. I was tired.’: Man reacts to friend’s unexpected visit days before his fiancee’s death
“It had been days since she awoke or spoke. ‘Are you coming to the wedding? You have to come. My dress is so beautiful. I look like a princess in it,’ Michelle proclaimed. Looking at me through the tears, I knew that Arieona’s glare in my direction was a request for direction. I nodded gently as I wiped the falling tears. ‘I’m coming Michelle. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.’”
‘You are a giving up years of your life to guarantee another human has the best years of theirs. You are a good, good mother’: Woman pens letter of gratitude to stay-at-home moms
“No one else was considered for the job. You were the only one qualified for this child. You won’t enjoy every minute, and that’s okay. You are a sacrificial and serving mom.”
‘Parenting is a woman’s burden. If the house isn’t clean, it’s a mother’s fault. If a mother wants to have drinks, she should be responsible. If Dad wants to, it’s OK.’: Wife grateful for husband who ‘assists in this parenting journey’
“‘Must be nice to have a husband who helps,’ they tell me. He will never carry the burden that I do. Dad’s babysit (so I’m told every time I leave our children with my husband), while us mothers look after their children.”
‘I went from a 3,000 square-foot house to a little hotel room with nothing. I found out the hard way.’: Mom learns to live in minimalism after house fire forces her to realize what’s important
“The single lone hair tie. You baby it. You put it back on your arm after you get out of the shower. You make sure it’s with you when you head to yoga class. That hair tie is your entire freaking life. Then I threw my – should have washed it yesterday – hair into a quick ponytail and a light went off.”
‘No, no, don’t sit next to him darling, move away.’ This sentence cuts like a knife. It shatters my heart into a million pieces.’: Mom of autistic son wishes no other parent to ‘experience this ignorance’
“We were just waiting to see Santa. I will never forget that room, it was so beautiful. All done up with snowmen, lovely lights, Christmas Music playing. It was sensory heaven for my little boy. I will never forget that woman. I will never forget the way she looked at my little boy. The way she stared. The look of disgust on her face.”
‘My car was stolen, along with my purse. Then I talked with my doctor about some scary reconstruction surgeries. Breast cancer isn’t quite done with me.’: Mom explains why she is ‘dog tired’ and giving herself ‘new beginnings’
“If one more kid gets out of bed for so much as a SNIFF of water, I’m going to pull my freakin hair out. That child might end up on the front porch wearing a ‘for sale’ sign. I just can’t anymore. I needed space. I needed something to belong to ME.”
‘Somewhere along the line I wanted to stop being intimate, yet, he never complained. He waited patiently for me to return.’: Wife details her ‘miraculous marriage’ in response to viral post honoring husband before writer’s death
“When I wanted to quit my job he said sure. Stay home with your kids? Girls nights out? Breaks from your babies laying bra-less in bed for far too long? He’ll provide for it all. Magic like this man doesn’t happen very often. So, try to capture some of it. Stand in his presence—and enjoy what it feels like to be free. To be fully seen and loved anyhow.”
‘A stranger approached, startling me by placing her hand on my shoulder. ‘Can I do anything to help? Would you like me to buy you a coffee?’: Mom ‘surprised’ by young mother’s kind gesture, ‘I wasn’t as alone as I felt’
“Bloodcurdling screams. My daughter’s lungs could shatter glass. A grandma approached us. She wanted me to scoop up my inconsolable daughter and comfort her. I’ve done that before, but at this point, my daughter was too far gone. As much as this woman wanted to intervene and help, she didn’t know my daughter.”
‘I lost all my pregnancy weight by 8 days postpartum because I was so sad. I don’t feel worthy of them at all.’: Mom’s severe struggle with postpartum depression
“I watched Mackenzie sleep on the monitor for an hour one night just praying she would forgive me for being who I am. I’ve been so confused because I LOVE being a mom. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to be. I have 2 beautiful children… so beautiful and so perfect, that I don’t feel worthy of them at all.”