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.
“I was completely inconsolable, bawling, unable to pull myself together. ‘I just don’t want to ever have to do this!’ She had lived, breathed, and been loved completely.”
“He was sitting with my uncle. ‘We can give her a break and take care of him.’ Our home was chaos but in the best way.”
“’How do you feel about having children?’ It was on our second date. I was in Atlanta at a business conference. My cell phone rang. ‘We’ve been matched!’ Triton and I burst into tears.”
“We fought for his rights and best interests. We were the only family he had ever known. I will never ever forget the caseworker driving him away. It was the most heartbreaking, excruciatingly painful thing. As soon as he left our home, we were working to change the laws.”
“The reality that this child was now my responsibility and would be staying for an indefinite amount of time started to set in. This was it. I was a mom! That night I cried happy tears once as I watched this little girl sleep in the room next to mine.”
“He didn’t have any idea what to do with a little girl. I tucked the papers away and forgot about them. Suddenly, I couldn’t breathe. Being rejected by the same woman twice in your life is a hard pill to swallow.”
“I hear both my husband’s and my phone start pinging like crazy and knocks on the door. I had to choose to either laugh or cry. It was the first day of virtual learning.”
“He was sent to live in an orphanage. At only 4 years old, they were preparing him for an Adult Mental Institution. We had no idea what his name was. We didn’t even know his birthday. Every time that phone rang, I ran to it. I was on pins and needles.”
“He was everyone’s greatest cheerleader, and his teammates and coaches loved him for it. I had an overwhelming feeling to appreciate that exact moment in time. ‘The traffic is actually not too bad.’ That was the last moment I remember.”
“She was playing basketball with all the neighborhood kids in our front yard when I got home from work. My heart fluttered. ‘What the heck am I doing? Can I even be a good mom? I know NOTHING.’ I walked up and tried to say hello to her.”
