“Grandma would witness him touching me and she would quickly brush it off. ‘Don’t do that! That’s you’re granddaughter!’ He’d laugh and say, ‘Not by blood. Haha.’”
‘I want to leave. Your grandpa is scaring me. Pleeeeaase!’ My friend shuffled in and closed the door. Her face was red, and she was crying. She looked terrified.’: Woman overcomes sexual abuse, vows to protect daughter
‘My girlfriend and I were scuba diving. There was an accident. I went too deep for too long. She held her breath, and stopped breathing shortly after. She was declared dead.’: Man finds love after devastating loss
“She came to introduce herself, but I was avoiding any contact. The moment my eye caught a glimpse of her though, I knew she would be trouble for me. She was so elegant, but I wanted nothing to do with women. I was rebuilding myself after a life changing accident.”
‘I found out the Friday before Thanksgiving.’: Women shares journey with invasive dual carcinoma
“They gathered around me, each taking turns cutting off locks of my hair to send in for a wig. I was always the one cutting my kids hair. I never thought I would be put in the chair. As I sat, I cried alone as my eyelashes fell out into my weeping eyes.”
‘When my mother passed, she left behind an old tape she recorded in secret. She made it in increments. I couldn’t cry. It was my job to stay strong. I’ve listened to it dozens of times.’
“As her health declined throughout the years, I cradled her frail body. ‘I won’t let go,’ I told her. I was no longer the child. The roles reversed.”
I Let My Son Wear Dresses, Because Kids Deserve To Be Happy And Free
“I will not be the mother to shame my children. I will ALWAYS fight for them. I will let them be happy and teach them to be proud of who they are.”
‘My sister whispered during one of those many hours, ‘Dad is teaching us how to die.’ The man who named the project suddenly became the subject.’
“We watched him go from a life-loving, bike-riding, wine-drinking, book-writing, word-weaving, soul-enriching mensch, to ashes in a box on my mother’s mantle in some of the shortest, yet longest weeks of my life.”
‘As a younger wife this made me irritated. ‘Don’t I have enough to clean up daily after the kids!’ I actually felt bitterness about it.’
“Every day I pick up the towel he hangs on our curtain rod and throw it on a hook in the bathroom, put his hair gel back in the bathroom drawer that was 3 inches from where he placed it, close literally every dresser drawer, and pick up at least two pairs of his shoes somewhere in the house.”
Army Wife Battles Lupus And Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome To Become Mom Of 2
“Even on my sickest days, my husband is assuring me I’m an amazing mother to our children, and that I am the most beautiful woman he has ever seen.”
‘For some of us, especially us mothers, there are certain minutes where time stands still and we just know we’ll remember every detail surrounding that specific memory.’
“There are many of us invisible parents, with only children we hold in our hearts rather than our arms. We don’t have any other living children to help ease the pain and ache, but let me assure you, our motherhood and fatherhood is valid and important, and our children’s lives matter.”
‘My doctor held my hand and started, ‘Tami…’ In that moment, I knew. I couldn’t breathe because I knew. Or at least I thought I did. My heart exploded with relief!’
“We were walking out of the house when a feather floated right in front of us. As we sat enjoying our morning coffee, another tiny feather made an appearance. On the drive home, I kept thinking … two feathers … what does that mean? But I had a hunch. I went straight to the bathroom and found a pregnancy test.”
‘Desperate, I messaged her. We had nothing in common but our abuser. She immediately said, ‘Come stay with me.’: Women become best friends after surviving same abuser, ‘I can’t imagine life without her’
“I was carrying our abuser’s baby after I had accused her of lying about him. ‘I’m so sorry for not believing you.’ I was nothing to her, and she took me in. When she walked into that elevator, I grabbed her and hugged her tight. She held me back and just cried uncontrollably.”
‘I put you in your mom’s arms so you could be snuggled while you drifted off to sleep. I hid behind the curtain and shed silent tears. I still hear the echo of, ‘I’m so sorry, but he is gone.’: Nurse recalls ‘absolute honor’ of caring for CHD patient
“I remember every single detail about this day. I knew what I was coming into, but in no way was I prepared for it. Your nurses before me had gotten you so handsome, dressed for your family. You looked so small in that big bed.”
‘Even when we fuss about how ‘chubby’ we look in. Even if we moan the angle isn’t good, I promise you this: We want to be seen. We want to be remembered. And it means the world to us, when you take our picture.’
“I know this isn’t something on the forefront of your mind, and that’s okay. We don’t need every special moment documented…but, let’s be honest. We spend a lot of time doing just that for everyone else. Please.”
‘If I took all of those pills, maybe I would go to sleep and never wake up.’ I scrubbed myself raw. I couldn’t get clean.’: Woman discovers husband’s multiple affairs, ‘I felt dirty’
“I got a call from my best friend’s husband. It was clear he didn’t really know how to say it. ‘If it were me I would want to know.’ My hands and feet got hot and sweaty. It was so many people… so many of my friends were involved. I couldn’t trust anyone. All I could do that week was sob, hysterically sob and compulsively take showers.”
‘Help me get daddy out!,’ she begged. ‘He won’t like being dirty.’ I took her to see his grave. She started digging up the dirt, crying her little heart out. We sobbed until we had no more tears to cry.’
“She was 3. That was the last time I took her to his grave. She told me her ‘heart hurt too’ much and she didn’t want to go back. She asks if our family can die and ‘be a star in the sky with daddy.’ I go straight into Mommy mode and reassure her we can’t be stars. It’s not our time.”
‘Evil never takes a day off. So, how can I?’ The man of my dreams died a mere 8 months after being diagnosed with this horrible disease. ‘How can this be?,’ the nurse in me kept asking.’
“I begrudgingly shared my email with her. She thought I’d be a good fit for her son, who she said looked like Matt Damon. He walked into my apartment wearing ‘white snake jeans,’ a brown trucker shirt, and black shiny shoes. Obviously, it was not his wardrobe that won me over.”
Kind 13-Year-Old Boy Surprises Struggling Mom With Car
“I am so proud of my son. He is such a good kid.”
‘When I opened my eyes my husband was as pale as the floor, sitting on the other side of me, breathing heavily, sweating, and staring at the floor.’
“The doctor inserted her torture device. I remember cursing loudly and then profusely apologizing, as the pain was excruciating. I covered my face and wanted to scream. During this time I felt Nick’s hand fall away. He was on the brink of passing out.”
‘It all clicked, and I thought, ‘Oh my God. I’m not straight!’: Woman realizes she is gay after years of repressed emotions
“Here I was, at age 32, realizing this for the first time with a husband and 3 children by my side. I felt utterly alone.”
‘He is coming!’ I was alone. I was in denial. My husband was deployed. I couldn’t possibly be giving birth without my two partners present.’
“Is my baby boy okay? All I wanted was my husband. Waiting for him to arrive at the hospital felt like a lifetime. When he arrived I collapsed into his arms sobbing. He asked what was wrong, but I could barely get the words out.”
‘I’m sure it’s just stress.’ I heard these words from doctors who over 15 years couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me.’
“All of these doctors told me they didn’t know what was going on but I could take strong prescription meds to deal with the symptoms. I didn’t just want to deal with the symptoms. I wanted to know the cause!”
‘Everyone poops during labor,’ she warned. It was my first time. I couldn’t stop asking questions. ‘Is it normal my water hasn’t broken yet?’ ‘When do I push?’: New mom shares labor experience, thanks nurses for support
“My questions didn’t stop there. ‘Is the baby okay?’ He was covered in white slime. ‘Should he be that color?’ I felt so completely unprepared. These women never looked at me and said, ‘That isn’t my job.’ That is a hero.”
‘I was scrolling photos and came across this – 24 bottles of breast milk. This is what a FULL day of feedings looked like for our triplets. We fed every 3 hours, and it was exhausting.’
“I didn’t experience the ‘bond’ I often heard of when it came to breastfeeding. But perhaps the ‘bond’ is formed by simply FEEDING your baby? Each time I held one of my babies, I cradled them in my arms as they received their bottle. I knew this was OUR kind of bond.”
‘I didn’t think anybody would miss me if I was gone.’ Her daughter planned to commit suicide. She left goodbye letters. She was ready to leave the world.’
“As her mom sat across from me, we both had tears streaming down our faces. I asked if I could write my student a letter to be delivered to her at the hospital. ‘My daughter would love that,’ she said. I wrote cards to every one of my students, over 100 of them.”
‘My girls and I were headed in. This young man jogged up behind us. ‘After you,’ he says, a big smile on his face. ‘Thank you,’ I respond, surprised, ushering my kids through the door.’
“I look back at this kid and his mom, and I’m overcome with an urge to compliment HER. Because she is obviously doing something very, very right. So I did. I looked deep in her eyes. And then coolest thing happened.”