“‘Mom, what happened to you?’ I didn’t know what to say. I was a vegetable, changed by people whose language I didn’t speak.”
‘The car skidded. I tried to run, escape. A whirlwind took us up and when it stopped, my torment started.’: Accident survivor bikes 100 miles, ‘Life can be beautiful, even on wheels’
‘We were 15 years old. ‘Let’s exchange letters.’ I couldn’t keep waiting. He was just the guy with the awesome jawline.’: Couple shares unconventional love story, ‘We still choose each other’
“’Start praying about him now.’ There was nothing spicy or exciting. ‘I’m done!’ I was tired of being in limbo. I wasn’t going to see him for 3 months. What were we even doing? He came in for a hug, and I pushed him.”
‘A handsome couple with no masks is livid because there are no walk-ins. Her mask is hanging off a Prada handbag. ‘We will take our business elsewhere!’: Woman shows grace to staff after restaurant horror scene, ‘I’m ashamed of all of us’
“The manager comes over and says, ‘I’m so sorry. We sent your order with someone else and we don’t even know who.’ I tell him, ‘I understand. No problem. It’s a crazy night.’ He breaths a sigh of relief. I’m ashamed of all of us.”
‘I have no idea what that feels like. Tell me everything.’ True friends will still be there when you drop your guard.’: Woman says friendship is ‘the silent permission to tell your truth’
“No competition for who has it better or worse. Just you be you, and I’ll be me. It all begins with telling your truth, and the silent permission that I can tell mine.”
‘I want to do more!’ I begged my mom to let me make them all a Love Blanket.’: 11-year-old makes blankets for kids who ‘need a little bit of extra love’
“The very first blanket we made went to a little girl who was autistic and had been bullied in school. I can’t fix the problems they are dealing with, but I can make them a Love Blanket and let them know they’re loved.”
‘My ex remarried and had 3 kids. Believe it or not, we all went to Disney World together. God and Zoloft kept me going.’: Woman shares co-parenting journey, ‘We’re all on board!’
“It had been ‘coming’ in a sense for a couple of years. I was pregnant with our second child when it all went down. We had to put all emotions aside.”
‘If I don’t survive this, I want you to know I lived more in my 36 years than most do in 80.’ It was time to let go.’: Woman shares love story after losing husband to pancreatic cancer
“He complained about stomach pains for 8 months. I remember sitting on our bathroom floor. He was so sick he could barely get up. ‘We feel he should stop treatment.’ On the way home, I asked Kyle what he wanted to do. Second opinion? Alternative medicine? He looked at me and said, ‘I’m tired.’ That was when I knew it was time to stop. It was time to let go.”
‘I felt my elbows tingle and collapsed. Even my organs were paralyzed. I had to push the call button with my neck.’: Stroke survivor creates inclusive dance company
“I collapsed and found myself unable to move my arms and legs. The nurse had to carry me to the bathroom. I was in shock. It felt like a door had been slammed in my face.”
‘We don’t get to hear how our child’s day went. We worry parents haven’t taught their kids about differences before they enter the classroom doors.’: Special needs mom shares candid reality of school drop-off day
“This isn’t your typical kindergarten mom crying after the first day drop-off picture. The tears are different.”
‘I will not let a single child slip through the cracks.’: 10 ways this first grade teacher is re-inventing learning
“God gave me the gift of being able to teach. Failure is not an option. We will go above and beyond.”
‘7 Siblings in Need of Home.’ Their parents had been killed. The story hit my heart like a ton of bricks. If not us, then who?’: Couple adopt 7 siblings after parents die in car crash
“Their parents had been killed, but they all had miraculously survived without seat belts. They were ejected from the vehicle and were badly injured. I thought about them all day. Their sweet, hope-filled faces jumped off of the screen and into my heart.”
‘I would point women out, ‘Am I skinnier or fatter than her?’ Then I heard my daughter saying similar things. It was sick.’: Mom ‘changes the narrative’ for daughter after wake-up call
“I cursed new and old stretch marks. ‘Only women who are a size 2 can truly be successful.’ My body image dictated how I spoke to myself, even while my daughter was listening.”
‘I desperately tried to hide what was going on from the well-off families. Parents sensed something. Kids were no longer allowed at my house.’: Woman details candid reality of growing up with a drug-addicted parent
“I never got the chance to say goodbye, to tell her that I forgave her. She wasn’t always this way. Reading her journal entries brought me closer to her than I ever thought possible.”
‘I desperately signed over FaceTime, ‘Mom home soon.’ I was stuck in a country with a brand new daughter.’: Couple adopts 2 special needs kids, ‘We are the absolute luckiest’
“I didn’t know when I’d see my husband again. I could hear my son crying, but all I could see was the dreaded ‘poor connection.’ My new daughter was screaming and couldn’t communicate. It was just too hard.”
‘My husband never holds my hand in public, but he brings home my favorite ice cream even though it’s not the grocery list.’: Woman says ‘my husband loves in quiet, and that’s okay’
“You’ll rarely see him gush over me on social media. Flowers do not arrive at my office on special occasions for the world to see. He loves in the quiet of holding my hand in his truck while we drive. He loves in quiet by sitting by my side on a porch swing, watching our children play.”
‘Um, this is kind of weird but the car before you said they felt you HAD to have a cake donut.’ We failed to hold back tears.’: Woman gets touching ‘wink from heaven’ on day of late friend’s birthday
“When I pulled up to the window at Dunkin, I was surprised. In that specific moment, my brain was everywhere, trying to place this puzzle piece where it belongs. ‘ALLEN!’ We both failed to hold back tears.”
‘Last night, I had a dream my non-verbal son said, ‘I love you.’ I awoke in tears. Deep in my heart, I wish I could hear his voice.’: Special needs mom says ‘I hope he knows how much I love him’
“He’s not affectionate. He doesn’t let me cuddle or kiss him. He’s always too busy, too distracted to engage. Last night, I cuddled him while he slept. I smelled his face, heard his beautiful breathing. He didn’t move or push me away. I hope he knows how much I love him.”
‘It’s all for you, bud! It’s all for you!’: Woman surprises ‘joyful’ Wendy’s employee with 40,000 dollars
“He wiped tears from his eyes.”
‘Blessed are the teachers, for they are risking their own lives while juggling balls of fire, underpaid and blindfolded.’: Mom shares viral ‘Corona School Year Beatitudes’
“And blessed are the janitors, for we all know how hard it is to clean up after our kids. This is like that except times a hundred, and if they miss a spot, people might die.”
‘She is smart and sassy. She’s fierce and always ten steps ahead. You pray she will one day know her worth.’: Girl mom says ‘what a privilege it is to raise a little girl’
“She is soft and sweet, but when she pouts that lip and pops that hip, God help the soul who tries to change her mind. One day she will be all grown up, and you will hope she comes back to you. Because no matter what, she’ll always be your little girl.”
‘Let them work in their PJs. If they want to do math in bed—more power to them. Your child does not need a school replicated in their home.’: Mom shares ‘friendly homeschool PSA’
“You do not need the perfectly aesthetic homeschool space. Because, mama, all they need is your love. And you’ve already got that nailed down.”
‘We should move,’ he suggested. Looking back, I now know what he was doing. He was preparing to die.’: Widow shares late husband’s act of kindness before his passing
“We had talked about it over the years, but never made any firm plans. He knew exactly what he was doing.”
‘Don’t wait until she tells you what to do. Don’t wait until the dishes are piled up. By the time she asks for help, she’s already gasping for air.’: Woman pens letter from ‘tired moms everywhere’
“She needs you now. She needed you to step in the second you walked through that door.”
‘I worked 9-5 trying to hide the pain. My job still let me go. I realized just how sick I was.’: Woman gets masters degree despite mystery chronic illness
“I was experiencing odd symptoms, such as chest pain, sweating, and tingling in my limbs. Yet, I had no diagnosis.”
‘I hope we never forget how hard it was to get them here, but also the delight we found in all they did.’: Mom reminisces on newborn stage
“Today we packed up six years of baby items to take to Goodwill.”