Love What Matters

‘You’ll miss these days!’ Please don’t remind me to love every moment when she’s being a turd and throwing things in Target.’: Mom encourages ‘have extra kindness’ amidst pandemic

“When you see my swollen stomach, dragging my limp-noodle toddler, and hear me gripe about being tired, consider it a Christmas gift to me by refusing the comment that comes to your mind. I guarantee you, I know I’m lucky.”

‘You need a closed adoption.’ My mom was adamant. Suddenly, the world turned upside down. She’d kept the secret for 35 years.’: Adoptive mom finds lost long sister, ‘It was divine intervention’

“My cousin called, ‘Can you take care of my baby?’ I felt an instant connection. Our family was complete and our adoption story had a sweet closure. Or so I thought. It all came together in that shocking moment.”

‘The neurologist called. ‘I’m 90% sure your son has Congenital Disorder of Glycosylation. Do not google it.’: Special needs mom urges, ‘Life can be beautiful, even when it doesn’t go as planned’

“Christopher is 7 years old and cannot sit on his own without falling over. He can’t walk and uses a wheelchair. He hasn’t had food orally for over 5 years, and is fed with a GJ tube. He has never told me he loves me, or said a single word. And I have learned that even without words, his story is going to be a beautiful one.”

‘Our karts spun out of control. We ended up nose to nose. I heard a divine voice clearly instruct, ‘GET TO KNOW HIM.’ My guard completely fell.’: Woman candidly details love story, ‘I wouldn’t trade him for the world’

“My life was full of mistakes with men. All they ever wanted from me was my body. I was tired and determined to take time away from dating to focus on developing myself. But then there was Jake. He kissed me, and it took my breath away.”

‘I’m going to die young.’ Tears rolled down my face as I held his hand. That day, I became an 8-month pregnant widow.’: Woman re-marries after losing husband, ‘I had two happily ever afters’

“I’ll never forget the moment the doctor gave us the results. ‘It doesn’t look good. His brain went too long without oxygen.’ I felt this strong sense of comfort come over my entire body. I knew without a doubt I’d be okay.”

‘Please take me home.’ Watching her crumble at her birth mother’s feet almost did me in. We had to protect her.’: Couple adopts teen from foster care, ‘She deserves a safe place’

“Nothing about foster care was easy. Why wasn’t there a boot camp for this? The Navy had trained me so well for potential threats, but now I was in an actual war field and felt left for dead. I almost walked away.”

‘Shut up and be quiet!’ An innocent, amazing child was crying, but he was also present and doing amazingly well.’: Mom advocates for autism awareness after shocking encounter

“Thank you to the woman in the bathroom yesterday… you are so unaware of amazing kids like my son. I’m sorry you felt the need speak to a stranger’s child the way you did. I’m thankful for you giving us more reason to go out into the world and share my son.”

‘It’s back and growing rapidly.’ We had a feeling this would be our last trip together, but we prayed it wasn’t so. NOTHING brought him relief of any kind.’: Widow recounts loss of husband, healing through nonprofit missionary work, ‘There is PURPOSE in the pain’

“The photo on this post is of my late husband and me. It was our last trip to Africa together. He looks a bit tired and haggard in the photo because, well, unknown to us when we set out on the trip, his cancer was back with a vengeance.”

‘You have lesions in your eye.’ I ran out, crying hysterically. I thought I was going to die.’: Woman with Multiple Sclerosis advocates for invisible illnesses, ‘Be proud of who you are’

“I told my boyfriend to wait in the car. ‘I just need some eye drops.’ My vision was off. ‘We need to send you for an MRI.’ I stood there, thinking, ‘Am I dreaming?’ I was going blind in my left eye.”

‘OMG! It’s not working. Give him one more dose. ANOTHER.’ Everything went downhill, and FAST.’: Woman recounts heartbreaking and unexpected loss of father, ‘I wouldn’t wish this pain on anyone’

“All day I kept having a weird feeling—like maybe I should call and ask him, ‘How are you?’ I just put it off as something else. The hospital assured us he was fine. I just shut down. I can’t explain it, but this switch in me just turned off. I don’t remember much after.”

I Was Arrested 14 Times, Now I’m 14 Years Sober

“As I lay in the ICU, I could see my mom raging in disappointment and agony as she tried to explain the situation to her colleagues. Where was the little boy she used to sing with? The little boy who helped bake cookies for Santa and colored Easter eggs? My life had spiraled out of control.”

‘Do you have any concerns?’ The mood shifted. I half-expected her to say, ‘I’m concerned he’s too good looking!’ The punchline never came.’: Mom gives birth to baby with Down syndrome

“She took him into her arms. ‘It’s not an ‘I’m sorry.’ It’s just different.’ I loved him, but I was scared. She helped us see he was the same beautiful baby we were elated with mere minutes before.”

‘You’re under arrest.’ My HUSBAND called the police on me. I woke up in the back of a cop car.’: Woman gets sober, delivers rainbow baby, ‘I can’t live my best life while drinking’

“I fed my toddler crackers and watched TV because I couldn’t function. I could NOT parent. The ‘’mommy juice’ culture became a slippery slope.”

‘I went on Tinder to find a snowboarding buddy. ‘May I ask you on a real date?’ My Visa was about to expire and we didn’t speak the same language!’: Long-distance couple tie the knot, ‘Never give up on love’

“We both didn’t believe in marriage. But here I was, before my flight back to Germany, talking marriage to a guy from the other side of the world I’d only known a little over a year. I couldn’t picture life without him. I couldn’t ask myself in 10 years, ‘What would have happened?'”

‘Did you leave your husband for him?’ I needed MORE! I came in so broken.’: Woman finds love after divorce, ‘I found someone who lets me be LOUD’

“‘Why couldn’t he find someone his own age?’ I cried myself to sleep at night wondering if I would ever feel loved.”

‘It’s been hard to place my feelings lately. But as I sat in my car, tears streaming down to Faith Hill’s ‘Where Are You Christmas’ on the radio, I finally understood.’: Woman shares magical reminder ‘not even 2020 can take away the love in our hearts’

“I’m mourning the loss of the person I was just one short year ago. She feels like a stranger to me now. But when I least expected it, I was reminded of the most important thing that can’t be taken away from us, no matter how the world feels like it’s crumbling.”

‘Drag me to the kitchen!’ I did what any self-respecting millennial would. I Googled ‘gunshot wound first aid.’: Man survives home invasion attack, ‘I’d choose a wheelchair over a hearse any day’

“I heard a loud bang. My legs dropped out from underneath me. My last memory was being placed in a helicopter.”

‘Mom, that’s enough beer.’ I just laughed it off. My ‘mommy juice’ made me the most confident woman.’: Woman shares sobriety journey, ‘You don’t have to hit rock bottom to quit’

“At 20 years old, I planned my brother’s funeral. My last words to him were, ‘Don’t drink too much.’ I began to binge and purge. When I drank, I felt like I could conquer anything.”

‘We have NO IDEA why this keeps happening.’ It felt like being ripped in half. I tried to scream, but no sound came out.’: Woman births rainbow baby after miscarriages, ‘Joy triumphs’

“When I went to the bathroom, there wasn’t spotting. There was blood, a lot of it. The doctors confirmed our worst nightmare. In the blink of an eye, without any explanation, it was over.”

‘How’s your alcohol tolerance?’ She administered the anesthesia herself. I heard myself flatline.’: Woman details ‘traumatizing’ IVF experience leading to rainbow baby, ‘It’ll all be worth it’

“The doctor started shaking me and asking me to breathe. I remember thinking, ‘This might be my last breath. I hope they at least retrieve a couple eggs.’ It felt like a scene from a movie.”

‘I can’t raise a child. I can’t even take care of myself!’ I had nothing left to live for. Or so I thought.’: Woman recovers from addiction for daughter, ‘All it took was a tiny shimmer of hope’

“Self-medication was the only thing keeping me alive. I sat outside, chain-smoking and chugging a bottle of wine. ’My boyfriend is an addict and I can’t get sober.’ I was never supposed to get pregnant.”

‘This is a bad idea.’ We left all our belongings and drove across the country, just two poor newlyweds. I wanted to turn back.’: Couple moves to wilderness camp, ‘Say YES to new adventures’

“The future seemed big and scary, and I felt small and nervous. I was ready to go home. The sunset was like fireworks to the end of a challenging season. Now when I look back, I am grateful.”

‘I wish you’d die, no one likes you.’ A hate page contained LOADS of info on me. The police got involved.’: Cystic Fibrosis warrior details journey, ‘Now I have time to start a family’

“‘She’ll be lucky to make it to 31.’ I curled up into a ball in her arms and sobbed. I was only 8.”

‘I know the days are long and the nights are lonely. But I also know the ’superhero’ feeling, the ‘I’m doing it all and surviving’ feeling.’: Woman encourages deployed military spouses, ‘You got this’

“The overwhelmed times, the stress, the depression, the heartache, and the doubt. But I also know the good. The ‘I can’t believe I’m doing this’ feeling.”