Love What Matters

‘The last thing I remember is my husband holding me, my face buried in his chest as they carried Sky out of our home forever.’: Mom shares faith, grief journey on son’s ‘angelversary’

“Losing him very well could have been the end of me, the end of Clint, the end of our marriage, my story as a mom, Clint’s story as a dad, my walk with God, my life. But instead of it being my limit, losing Sky became my view.”

I’m An Unreliable Friend And Spouse At Times, But I’ll Never Regret Putting My Kids First

“I’m wishy-washy in all other aspects of my life. But even though I don’t love everything about motherhood all the time, I love everything about them. And there are no other people in this world I’d rather be with.”

Man Rescues Pregnant Woman Trapped In Car, Reunite 2 Years Later

“I don’t know what would’ve happened. I want him to know how much I appreciate him.”

mom and daughter looking at each other while talking

Dear Mama: You Are Not Messing Things Up, Parenting Is Just Hard

“You have permission to make a ‘lazy’ dinner. You have permission to use screen time so you can get things done. You have permission to drink a cup of coffee at the kitchen table because you just can’t handle one more second of playing ‘pretend.'”

A woman in glasses and a mom with her partner and kids

‘Today’s the day.’ I was so depressed, so consumed with sadness and rage, and felt like a burden to everyone.’: Mom overcomes depression, suicide attempt

“I never would have imagined I would be where I am now. There is no one way you have to heal, but don’t ever be afraid to ask for help.”

‘My abuser is a free man. Free to prey on more innocents, free to destroy more lives. I’m not willing to be silent anymore.’: Abuse survivor candidly shares journey of pain and resilience

“They say when people drown, it’s silent. Nobody around them can see them, hear them, or help them. The person drowning is slipping further and further beneath the surface, slowly suffocating. That’s what it felt like. I was drowning every day, suffocating, desperate for a breath, watching to the world around me carry on, with no idea that I was dying. But no matter how hard, I always choose to keep going.”

A mom holds her toddler and a mom sits next to her daughter in an airport

‘As I advanced in my career, I felt like I was losing my daughter.’: Single mom shares lessons learned along emotional parenting journey

“I was hurt, confused, and emotionally unstable but determined to train my child the best way I knew how. Since then, I have learned so many lessons.”

‘Today, I counted down the minutes until bedtime. You tested me at every turn, whined and screamed. And me? I lost my cool.’: Mom learns to cherish difficult toddler years

“But no matter how many things go wrong in a day, how imperfect I am, how bad your behavior was, when I watch you peacefully sleeping, I want to breathe the entire day in, even the bad. I want to take in your littleness and keep it forever. Because you’ll always be that newborn who snuggled right into me, and stole my entire heart.”

My Lyft Driver Attempted To Kidnap Me

“I begged him to please pull over, but he kept driving. It was quite clear this man’s intentions were not good.”

‘Imagine, waking up with an air strike alarm. Scrolling the news, seeing the mess… but this time, it’s your home.’: Ukrainian man shares glimpse into current reality of life in Ukraine

“And now, imagine you don’t actually have to imagine this.”

‘Really loving is risking looking ugly when ugly is how it feels inside.’: Wife shares why it’s important to fight sometimes

“It’s understanding just because you love each other doesn’t always mean you’ll like each other.”

‘What was I to do? The heart wants what it wants. But try telling that to my family!’: Mixed race couple shares how they overcame marriage disapproval

“In most South Asian cultures, to even suggest marrying someone of another race is unthinkable. It took over two years trying to explain how I felt, and a lot of debates, prayers, and tears.”

‘Hey Instagram, please show me more of this – more mess, more clutter, more laundry and dishes. I want to see reality.’: Mom urges ‘life is a little more beautiful when it’s imperfect’

“Show me the kids running amuck seconds before the camera snapped the perfect Kodak moment. Show me the dishes piled high in the sink because you spent the entire morning being present with your children rather than cleaning up.”

‘I didn’t like the idea of not having a womb. Suddenly the very thing that had caused me so much agony was a symbol of my femininity.’: Woman battles through Adenomyosis leading to a hysterectomy

“My mother was convinced I had the same condition she had called Endometriosis. She kept taking me back to the doctor and pushing for more investigations. Each time the doctor would dismiss us both, treating her as the overbearing mother and me as the attention-seeking teenage girl.”

‘We’ve spent over $100k and still don’t have a living baby.’: Cystic fibrosis warrior shares candid reality of infertility battle, IVF

“It’s been two years of pumping my body full of every hormone you can imagine. One to make me ovulate, one to stop ovulating. Birth control pills to control your cycle, then hormones to throw you into menopause. Estrogen pills, patches, vaginal suppositories, and injections.”

A dad with his young child and a nonbinary transgender woman

‘As I saw my reflection, something clicked. I saw this gorgeous, beaming person on the computer screen. ‘That’s her, this is it.’: Non-binary transgender woman shares coming out journey

“I lay there wide awake, overwhelmed with shame. Boys didn’t wear girls’ clothing or makeup. Boys could never be girls. There was nowhere that I didn’t look or feel out of place.”

‘A couple were looking for help to grow their family. My husband said, ‘I’d never stop you blessing the lives of others.’: Mom of 5 becomes gestational carrier

“The process of getting pregnant with someone else’s baby is equally terrifying and exhilarating.”

woman having a rough day taking a selfie

‘I hide in the bathroom from my kids. I eat a block of cheese in one sitting. I fight with my spouse and order Trenta-sized coffees.’: Woman urges ‘don’t forget her highlight reel is entirely different from her REAL’

“I refuse to let myself believe that everyone else has ‘got it going on,’ and they are getting life so right while I haphazardly go through my days like a nervous and confused squirrel in traffic.”

‘Love will find a way.’: Photographer stunningly captures Ukrainian dancer’s tribute to homeland

“Upon hearing her beautiful accent I learned she was from Lviv, Ukraine and that she was also a professional dancer. At that moment, I knew exactly what type of portrait session this needed to be.”

‘She held his tiny body and said, ‘I can’t believe how little he is.’: Youngest granddaughter cherishes rare relationship between last-born child and grandma

“Skip is 1. My grandma is 93. The youngest of her grandchildren, I never thought I’d see her going on a walk with my youngest child. That he would walk up and ask her. That he would be born in a home she lived in. But here we are. These boys of mine getting to meet the incredible human who shaped me.”

Multiple Sclerosis Stole My Wife’s Ability To Walk, So I Built Her A Rickshaw

“One of our favorite things to do was go on long walks. I made up my mind I would do everything in my power to make her life as normal as possible. As long as my legs are still strong enough to walk, Jan and I will still have those long walks in the woods. Where there is will, there is always a way.”