“I was single and 27 when the tug of foster care came.”
‘Thursday started off like any other day. But by bedtime, I was a mom of 3 little tired souls.’
‘We sat at our kitchen table making a list titled, ‘How to spend $25,000!’: Couple adopts baby girl thanks to game show contestant earnings
“On a whim, he filled out the application to be a contestant on the show. Several rounds of interviews later, and he was flying out to Los Angeles to have a final interview and find out if he would get to play for $25,000. Well, he did! And he won! Aaron’s phone rang 3 weeks later. ‘Holly, I got THE call. They have a match for us. When can you come home? They want to talk to both of us.’”
‘At 11, I had one foot on Earth and one in Heaven. While other girls complained of their periods, I longed for one. My body was a ticking time-bomb.’: Youngest female to ‘undergo hysterectomy’ embarks on adoption journey
“In my 20s, I watched all my friends marry and have babies. I saw their lives unfolding while mine was stuck. I felt like guys could somehow sense my ‘barrenness’. Like somehow other girls gave off some mysterious appeal I couldn’t. I knew infertility would one day rear its ugly head. I was an old soul trapped in a young body.”
‘Lathered in sunscreen, poolside, I suddenly realized my son wasn’t with me. My eyes hit the shallow end. I spotted a toddler completely submerged in water. The world stopped. I plunged in.’
“I was not the mother to make this kind of error. The mother who looked away. ‘If he’s alive, he’d be kicking, fighting.’ Why wasn’t he fighting? I pulled him onto the cement and thrusted my hand against his back. Fingernails pink, skin pale, lips discolored. His white knuckles gripped my neck. ‘ANDREW. Andrew, please come back to me.'”
Dear Son, I Could Have Never Predicted How Hard The Drive Away From Your College Would Be
“I decided to write Peyton a letter before he left. I needed to get out all of the things I wanted to say to him – the good and the bad. I’m sorry we took the easy way out. I wish we would have fought harder for you.”
‘The grocery store. For most people, it’s a place of necessity. For a grieving parent, it can be an emotional gauntlet.’
“I notice the cashier’s name is Grace. I smile because I love seeing any part of my daughter’s name. It’s like a little wink from her and I know she’s okay. ‘How are you doing today?’ the cashier asks. ‘I’m good,’ I say, only half lying.”
‘On Monday my son should have started kindergarten, but he never will. As back to school happens, consider those around you.’
“He will never bring home homework. He will never miss the bus. He will never forget his lunch money. We will never meet his teacher. We miss them all. Our son never finished PreK.”
‘She said, ‘Would you rather not be here, or have your daughter eat formula if necessary? She needs mama here.’: Mom’s near-death experience with sepsis
“If you had waited another day, I think you’d be dead,’ my doctor said. At that point, I realized how serious this was. I had put it off, trying to fight how I felt with Tylenol.”
Motherhood Ruined Me
“In the absolute best way possible. And I wouldn’t change it, I wouldn’t change me. Not for the world.”
To My Dearest Son On The Anniversary Of Your Death
“You taught me not to sweat the small stuff in life.”