Love What Matters

A husband and wife lean over the body of their stillborn daughter

‘Two more doctors rushed in. They were scrambling with the ultrasound machine and saying, ‘Call an ambulance.’: Mom shares emotional pregnancy loss at full term

“My baby was so very still inside me. I wasn’t crying, I was just in shock and rubbing my belly.”

‘The moment I saw ‘habitual aborter’ on my medical chart, my breath was knocked out of me.’: Woman grieving pregnancy loss urges for updated terminology

“Grieving mothers deserve medical care that makes them feel truly cared for.”

‘He painted my nails the other day when I hurt my hand.’: Woman urges ‘this love is worth waiting for’

“If you wait long enough, if you stop telling yourself you’re not settling and you wait – this exists. A person who will let you know, from the very beginning, that you’re the person they’re with forever.”

A woman cosplaying a Sith and a woman with chronic illness

‘Would you become a vampire if it got rid of your pain permanently?’ For them, it was a fun question. For me, it was real.’: Woman discusses presentation of chronic illness in media

“With pain as a power source, I would be able to easily pop open a can of soda without using my feet to hold the can steady. These scenarios hit differently when you’ve got something chronic and real.”

‘Your baby has a birth defect.’ The beautiful boy with the pouty little lips, gorgeous blue eyes, and full head of hair? It had to be a mistake.’: Mom shares acceptance of baby’s Hirschsprung Disease

“My son had a birth defect, and the reality of it cut through me like a knife.”

Woman clutches her two daughters while they dry off after swimming in the ocean at the beach

The Greatest Challenge With Gentle Parenting Isn’t Teaching My Child How To Regulate Her Emotions, It’s Regulating My Own

“Our inner teenagers are running the show. We live behind our screens, judging others based on superficial things they flaunt on social media, and have hissy fits when someone disagrees with us. How can we expect our children to regulate their emotions if we don’t have a clue how to regulate our own?”

7 Tips For Getting A Workout In As A Busy Mom With Toddlers

“I missed my workouts and I missed feeling like myself. So, I decided right then and there my new motto moving forward would be, ‘Something is better than nothing.’”

‘God saw me. Clutching proof of the unimaginable. My husband was an addict.’: Woman shares God’s role throughout her life

“God did not say what I felt, ‘How pathetic. How could you have missed this?’ Instead, he held my gaze without flinching. He was with me.”

When Raising Teens, Some Nights Will Bring You To Your Knees

“The frustration, exasperation, irritation, slammed doors, stream of angry words, and tears will be too much.”

An Asian American woman stands at a vigil and a woman and her partner in New York

‘I was holding my breath for an hour, waiting for my husband to call.’: Woman details aftershocks of Brooklyn subway shooting

“The night prior, I walked home by myself in the dark, and I actually felt relatively safe. But this was a disturbing image of everyone’s actual worst nightmare.”

5 Things To Consider When Choosing Childcare

“There’s no denying it. Looking for non-family care for your child is tough.”

A woman and her partner and a couple on their wedding day

‘I went straight to my car to go home. ‘Wait!’ he said, stopping me. ‘I knew I had to act quickly.’: Woman shares beautiful, unexpected love story

“The day I began packing my sedan to move, I got a phone call. If I had chosen differently, I would not have met my special someone.”

‘One day all the dances, flower girl practice, and dressing up leads you to a white dress with an aisle to walk down.’: Mom shares importance of cherishing every moment with your kids

“The first home she ever knew was right inside my belly. And it will always be me she loved first.”

‘You want to hold mommy’s hair?’ She stopped crying a bit and mumbled, ‘Yeah.’: Mom shares realization on breaking generational cycles after daughter’s ‘massive fit’

“I teared up remembering how when I was younger, I would have been picked up and gotten mad at for crying like that, then left to cry. The cycle ends with me, for her.”

‘I didn’t just lose my husband, Vienna’s father, or my best friend. I lost parts of myself.’: Young widow shares raw grief over loss of life she imagined

“Losing Joe didn’t just alter the reality of my marriage, it affected every aspect of my life. Every single one.”

Brooklyn Subway Shooting Survivor Shields Pregnant Woman From Gunfire

“She said, ‘I’m pregnant with a baby.’ I hugged her and then the bum-rush continued.”

A young boy and his dad and a bonus mom with a boy wearing a ninja turtle costume

‘People ask if Emilio is mine. Without a second thought, I respond, ‘Yes.’: Woman shares beautiful bonus mom journey after toxic relationship

“I wasn’t there to watch him come into this world, but I can’t wait to see what impact he has on it.”

I Must Turn Away Potential Clients For Therapy Every Day, And It Breaks My Heart

“Because people are hurting. Because relationships are suffering. Because the world is too much right now for so many. Because the negativity everywhere is palpable. Because it’s hard to find hope right now. So, be kind to each other.”

Today I Learned The Power Of Restorative Silence

“Let me tell you, those 5 minutes restored and filled my soul. Those 5 minutes were the best thing I did for myself. Because sometimes, life can be too people-y.”

‘I pulled myself out of my office, empty and defeated, to a plate of DIY tacos and sparkling water.’: Husband’s sweet act of kindness for wife in need

“He knew I wasn’t feeling well. He knew I was exhausted. He knew I wasn’t feeling seen in many areas of my life. And so he took a few extra minutes to let me know he cares. This is what love looks like.”

I Am The Gray Area Friend

“Sometimes I forget to text my friends back. Sometimes I check in with them when it really counts. Sometimes I show up. Sometimes I decide deliberately to not reach out because it’s all I can do to keep the lid on my emotions from bubbling over.”

I’ll Always Hold Her, Even When She No Longer Fits In My Arms

“I’ll hold her little hopes and dreams. I’ll hold her in her sadness or fears. I’ll hold her up in prayer. And I’ll ALWAYS hold a place for her in the center of my heart. Because that’s what you do with your baby. You just hold ‘em every chance you get.”

Does Taking A Lot Of Photos REALLY Stop You From Living In The Moment?

“I hear it all the time. ‘Why are you always taking pictures?’ ‘Live in the moment and stop trying to take a picture.’ ‘Really? You want to take a photo?'”