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’d like to give you a twenty. Is that ok?’ I passed it over. ‘Yes, yes. Thank you. I’m sorry. I just am having a real bad day.’: Woman is ‘changed’ after trying to help homeless man with simple act of kindness
“He turned toward me. Huffily, he said, ‘I’m sorry. I’m just really tired, and I have a terrible headache.’ This man was still ill-mannered and grumpy as hell, mind you, but at least he let me know why. He became human. He folded his sign and took the several steps to my window. The light was about to turn green.”
‘Mom! We’ve been in an accident! They can’t get Daddy to wake up.’ I asked if the airbags deployed.’: Woman loses husband in tragic accident, marries fellow widow, ‘My heart began to beat again’
“Eleven days later, I got a message from Todd. I had never met him in person. We began very innocent conversation about being ‘only parents’ to our children. We sat in that booth for 3 hours…. talking, laughing, crying. After we finally left, I sent a text. ‘I know I should be playing it cool, but I had a really great time. I’d like to do it again soon.’”
‘He’s selfish. My husband is feet up, on the couch, quietly sipping his favorite beer, that I bought for him.’: Wife says despite her husband’s faults, she definitely ‘married up’
“When my husband and I sat down with our pastor for our first session of pre-marital counseling, my mind was a flurry of white noise, punctuated by red-hot panic. The one thing I do remember our pastor saying was, ‘The best marriages happen when both people think they married up.’ Damn, was he right.”
‘He never even looked for me. Not when he fell. Not when he stood back up. It stunned me, to be honest.’: 6-year-old doesn’t need mom after falling hard, ‘I watched and I watched, and I waited’
“My little boy was knocked off his feet by a bigger kid during a soccer game. My hands were clinched on the sidelines as I watched him limp toward the goal. I watched and I watched, and I waited. And he never even looked for me. He fell hard. And he didn’t even look for me.”
How Learning My Husband’s Love Language Transformed Our Marriage
“When I get frustrated with my husband, I want to be left alone, but he wanted to talk. Talk?! Are you kidding me? Ryan expressed his frustration with me as we sat in the hot tub. I wasn’t caught off guard, I knew it was coming.”
‘A man said something to me about not knowing what to do when he sees breastfeeding in public in this age of #MeToo. Yes, he was serious.’: Woman schools man on his ignorant comment, ‘Keep your mouth shut’
“He went on to explain he can’t help but ‘notice’ breastfeeding, and since he’s a guy, he can’t help looking at breasts when they’re ‘just out there.’ Yes, I educated him.”
‘Your meal’s already been covered.’ I don’t have the right words. I teared up.’: Stranger’s act of kindness for mom of 3 at Cracker Barrel came when she needed it most, ‘My brother was killed on his way home for Thanksgiving’
“At the end of our meal, our server brought us a to-go box and said 5 words with a smile that hit me hard: ‘Your meal’s already been covered.’ Here’s what no one could have possibly seen: Today, 4 years ago, my little brother lived his last day in this world. Today was a ‘Just make it through’ kind of day. Until this moment.”
‘Next time just shut up and listen.’ I’d been married 13 years. I’ll be honest, his advice pissed me off.’: Husband shocked random advice was actually correct, ‘You don’t need to fix her problems. Just listen to her’
“She was frustrated. With each concern I told her I could ‘fix it.’ I told her to calm down (not a wise move, I know) and with each ‘fix it,’ she grew more frustrated. ‘You’re not getting it!’ And hung up. He laughed. ‘She isn’t worried about you fixing anything,’ he said. ‘She wanted to vent.’ Naturally, I let out a condescending breath.”
Dear Parents, This Christmas Shopping Hack Will Avoid Countless Tantrums
“Take a picture. It’s that easy”
‘My therapist said it might be a good idea to hire a ‘personal assistant.’ I’m a stay-at-home-mom. Am I crazy to consider it?’: Mother recalls how extra help would get her ‘sparkle’ back
“I was at brunch slurping up a delectable chai with a girlfriend when I confessed all my help. ‘So, I have this gal who does our house’s big deep cleans and then another gal who does light tidying and takes care of all the laundry a few times a week and this other gal who babysits one day a week during the afterschool hours to give me a break from, well, the after school hours.’ P.S. I’m a stay-at-home mom.”