“His last text read, ‘bank robber.’ I raced upstairs, put on clothes. After several unanswered phone calls, Jamie’s sergeant picked up. ‘He’s been shot in the back.’ He was paralyzed from the sternum down. The news didn’t hit until I had to relay it to my parents. I can’t make his pain go away. I can’t make his legs move again. But what I can do is love him.”
‘I got a message from a stranger offering condolences for my fiancé. My heart raced. I had NO IDEA what was going on.’: Deputy paralyzed in shooting, girlfriend embraces his ‘new normal’ with open arms
‘She said, ‘That’s them. That’s my son’s parents. That’s who I’ve been looking for.’ And then, I told her you were pregnant.’
“Her entire demeanor changed. The pause felt like an eternity. There could be two ends to this. My hand flew to my mouth as a gasp of air escaped and a sob caught in my throat. Stunned.”
‘Dear ‘fat’ woman on vacation, my heart stopped as you got on stage for a couple’s contest. You live in a world not ready to accept your size.’: Woman furious after plus-sized lady ‘humiliated’ on vacation for entertainment
“You put up your hand to stop them. They didn’t listen. They didn’t care about your consent. They lifted you up into the position the other women were so easily lifted into by their husbands. Except it took 4 men to lift you. Your face was red. Your husband looked sympathetic as you whispered to each other. Did you realize you were part of the entertainment that night? I didn’t see you again, but I haven’t stopped thinking about you.”
‘Unexpected guests rang the doorbell. ‘Are you mom?’ I nodded, ‘Yes.’ With 10 adults, you’d assume our daughter would’ve been safe.’: Parents lose daughter in drowning accident
“A bag of popcorn started on fire, and multiple kids ran outside. It only took seconds for Preslee to slip past everyone into the canal. He ran along the canal for a mile. He saw the farmer pulling her out of the water. Our sweet girl had bumped into this farmer’s leg.”
Dear Sister: You’re Not Just My Child’s Aunt, You’re His Second Mother
“I never knew how my relationship with you would evolve after I had children. We’ve always had the close hearts of sisters, but you see the world differently than I do, you dress differently than I do, you do almost everything differently than I do. But the day you became my son’s aunt, you became my closest ally, my wingwoman. Without you, my son wouldn’t be complete.”
‘This is weird, but I feel like I know you.’ My heart dropped. ‘Were you adopted?’ Yes. ‘How old are you?’ 40. ‘I gave birth to a child 40 years ago.’: Woman gives son up for adoption, runs into him at supermarket
“The mutual dreams. The age. The feeling. It all seemed to align by some inexplicable magic. He didn’t speak. He only sobbed, my tears flowing with him. I was never a believer in miracles. But this? This felt like a miracle of the utmost kind. The universe brought us together. It’ll take an army to tear us apart.”
‘What are ya’ll doing here?’ She had a peculiar look on her face. ‘We have something to tell you.’ ‘If you’re pregnant or dropping out of school, you might as well leave now! GET OUT!’
“I heard the words ‘Oh crap!’ We shockingly stared at the pregnancy test. ‘What do I do?!,’ I asked. ‘You have to tell your mom.’ My mom was a ‘no nonsense’ woman. Everyone knew she was NOT to be played with. I had to tell her in public. We showed up, unannounced, at her job.”
‘Did I love you enough today?,’ I wondered as I drove you to school through tears of frustration. I catch a glimpse of you staring at me in the rear view.’: Mom shares open letter to child
“I want to rewind the day and tell you how good you did. I will ALWAYS be here. Rooting for you. Lifting you up. You are, and always will be, the greatest thing I have ever done.”
‘You catch this baby, or I will.’ My son’s father fainted. He woke up, saw our newborn, then left to smoke. He returned smelling of cheap beer and cigarettes.’
“‘I’m taking our son,’ he said. It was snowing and he was wasted. ‘He will not take my child like this.’ My grandmother walked in from church. ‘Take my son and lock yourself in your room!,’ I screamed. He got in his car and sped off, fish-tailing down the snow-covered road. Hours later, he returned.”
‘She could not have been more perfect. When she died unexpectedly 2 months later, I thought my heart stopped with hers.’
“Three months after my love proposed to me, I found a lump. I was told I was ‘lucky’ because I had the ‘good kind’ of cancer. It was a hugely insensitive thing to say. My friends were buying homes, getting promotions, having children – and I’m the ‘lucky’ one?”
‘If I ever go on my bike, know I died happy!’ He gave forehead kisses, backed out of the driveway. ‘Byeee Charlotte, daddy loves you.’: Woman loses husband to motorcycle accident months after giving birth
“He gave us forehead kisses. ‘Byeee Charlotte, daddy loves you,’ and backed out of the driveway. My phone rang. I remember answering to hear concern on the other end. ‘What’s Brandon doing?,’ they asked. ‘Oh, he’s out on a bike ride!’ There was a long pause.”
‘Can you take a 6-month-old baby?’ I knew in my heart he was mine. I remember them being less than kind, staring at my arm. ‘What happened to you?’
“‘If my arm didn’t stop me from being a great mom to my biological child, why would it stop me from being a great foster mom?’ I was advised to give up because of my disability. I was heartbroken and had no rights.”
‘I had to leave. I had to be a single dad to be a better father for my daughter.’: Single dad explains his relationship was ‘vulnerable, beyond repair,’ despite being determined to have a ‘strong co-parenting relationship’
“My girlfriend of 9 months was pregnant. ‘I need to tell you something.’ She slid a card across the table. As soon as I opened it, I saw pink and started tearing up. I was disappointed in myself and embarrassed I was careless. I had always dreamed this moment would be joyous. It was not.”
‘Our son spotted an older man wearing a hat. ‘Retired US Air Force’ was in bold. ‘May I thank him for his service, mama?’ I cried when we sat down. I was exhausted and overwhelmed.’
“‘Of course, honey.’ I smiled to him, stuffing down my feelings of wanting to explode. He smiled and thanked the man, who shook his hand and smiled back. Then, as we asked our waiter to take our bill, he said it was taken care of. Paid for. In full.”
‘I was never going to ask. I didn’t want to put that on you.’ Our guardian angels whispered loud enough to give us confidence.’: Mom of 4 under 3 adopts 2-year-old brother from dying father
“What would happen to Easton? Who would raise him? Where would he go? How do you figure this out in just a few days’ time? Something told me to step up. ‘You’re supposed to be his mom. Tell your dad. Tell him now.’ I tried for an entire day to quiet this voice, but it kept pushing. It felt like the most insane thing to tell my dying father.”
‘This is me in a dress I have NO business wearing.’
“I don’t want you to say, ‘OMG, YOU LOOK GREAT!’ I don’t want you to say, ‘GOOD FOR YOU!’ I want you to know why I’m wearing a dress I have no business wearing.”
‘I woke up on the floor of a hotel room. My buddy was lying there on the floor next to me. Dead.’
“Why I didn’t die, I have no idea. I suffered a serious head injury that evening. I firmly believe I was hit over the head. All I could think about was my daughter growing up without a father, and my family standing over my casket.”
‘He’s not breathing!’ His entire arm was jerking. What was going on?! ‘He was just screaming! How could he not be breathing?’ Then my phone rang.’
“He was admitted to the hospital ‘just to do some routine stuff’ since he was young for such a high fever. I didn’t love the idea, but I was willing to do whatever was needed. Then something unexpected happened. Trevor started screaming. The nurse reached for the ‘Code Blue’ button on the wall.”
‘Mom, is he gay?’ Not really looking up I answer, ‘Yeah, honey he is.’ ‘Mom, I think I’m gay, too.’: 8-year-old daughter comes out to mom
“‘I think so too, hun,’ I said. I’ve known far longer than she has that she’s gay. The entire conversation, one she will likely forget by the time her first girlfriend asks about her coming out story, was just 18 words.”
‘FREEZE. DON’T MOVE,’ I whispered. This was it. He knew I was escaping. The music stopped. ‘Run, run now!’: Woman escapes abusive relationship, re-marries, ‘I am now loving every waking moment on earth’
“I needed someone to tell in case I went ‘missing.’ Our house was in the middle of a hill, covered by woods. ‘Mom, please come.’ With the highest anxiety I’d ever felt in my life, I slowly closed the door. This was it. My goodbye after 13 years. My kids smiled in the backseat, oblivious. ‘Go!’ I turned off my location and watched in the mirror as we drove away.”
‘Mom, why wasn’t Ryan in school today?’ He kept looking for him, but Ryan was getting ready for his angel wings.’: 10-year-old boy loses best friend to Ewing’s sarcoma, starts foundation to teach cancer patients to fish
“When my son’s best friend passed from cancer, he said, ‘Mom, he spent so much time in the hospital that he didn’t get the chance to be a kid. He didn’t even get to go fishing!’ You see, Jake’s passion is fishing. He’s been doing it since he was 5 and it’s grown to be his absolute favorite activity. ‘Mom, kids fighting cancer should get to fish!’ I told him he should do something about that, and so he did. Ryan made my son feel like he belonged. He wanted to do for cancer patients what Ryan did for him.”
‘I hear it a lot. Stay-at-home mothers feeling guilty for spending ‘their HUSBAND’S’ money.’: Mom implores working partners to treat stay-at-home spouse as equal
“I’ve heard stay-at-home mothers ask to buy something like they are 15 years old again! Asking for $10 to buy a bra. It’s no longer ours, it’s HIS money. And if he wants to buy $400 shoes, well he can, because he worked.”
‘I LOVE MY IPAD, MOMMY. I HATE YOU!’ My beautiful child was ugly crying, swinging arms, red faced. He threw his belly to the ground. ‘WHY MOMMY?!’ All hell broke loose.’
“His little body leaped off the ground and dove for the iPad in my lap. In between hiccups, coughs, deep gasps, he said, ‘MOMMY… I… NEED… IT.’ I replied a stern, ‘No, baby. You do NOT need it.’ Then, mommy did the unthinkable. ‘We’re going on an adventure.'”
‘Oh, God. This has to be a dream. Not MY Mick.’ They were only going to the race track. A 3-hour drive from home. Their horse was racing, and then they were supposed to come back.’
“Then it dawned on me. Is this what Mick meant when he said to me, ‘Under no circumstances can I change my plans on Saturday and take Chloe to basketball.’ I can’t believe I never questioned him on that; it was very unusual for him not to go and watch her play.”
‘When I was 15, I was sent to a private boarding facility in the backwoods. I snuck out was roaming during the night. I was suddenly taken into a building far in the woods, the doors locking behind me.’
“For the next 2 years, I was ‘locked up’ with wire fences, an open bay dorm of girls in dresses. I was to say yes ma’am and no sir. Everything was taken from me. Our letters were censored. Girls who would cry would be forced to sit in a baby stool with a pacifier.”