Sonia Beltz is a former digital editor for Love What Matters based near Dayton, Ohio. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English and Creative Writing from the University of Iowa. In her free time, you can find her writing, reading, or researching random historical facts online. Follow her on Instagram at @skatbel.
“He just shook his head. ‘Are you sure?’ I asked him. As I was thanking him, he told me to hang on and ran somewhere. This one experience was enough to make my whole week.”
“‘Do you need someone to drive you home?’ I couldn’t see through the tears. He couldn’t hear me tell him I love him, but he is capable of so much more than that.”
“I realized I was non-binary last year. At 42. It was in the middle of COVID-19 social distancing.”
“They asked us about our ‘love story.’ It was a bureaucratic nightmare. And no one was being honest with us. Some days are a struggle, but we are so grateful to be his parents.”
“‘Your voice sounds SO familiar.’ They almost dropped their phone. I was overjoyed and heartbroken all at once. No matter how he came to us, he has always been meant to be my son.”
“I spent all my days doing homework, soaking bottles, or hurrying to wash clothes before the spit-up soured. I forgot how to be more than just a mother.”
“I cried my eyes out. They chalked it up to being more prevalent if you were young, Black, and poor. I prayed she would be born alive.”
“In high school, friendships were easy. Once I turned 30, I didn’t have the patience anymore for the superficial.”
“‘I’ll call you when we land.’ My phone started going crazy. Holding his hand, I promised him I would move forward with building our family.”
“I went speechless. They were scared to tell anybody because people would make fun of them. Our imperfections don’t define us.”
