“After months of being teased about my accent, my clothes, my hair, my body, I had no wherewithal to speak up when the N-word came out of the mouth of someone I considered a friend. I froze. I spent the rest of the year working hard to drop my accent. I got quiet. I learned not to raise my hand, because the teacher would make it a point to humiliate me anyway.”
‘I don’t really like black people, but you’re different.’ I shrank inside myself. I couldn’t change my skin, but I could lose every identifiable piece of who I was to blend in.’: Woman recalls experiences with racism, ‘I’m no longer a scared little girl’
‘She’s in heart failure.’ I’d most likely never get to meet her. We could deliver our stillborn baby.’: Woman gives birth to high risk baby with Down syndrome, ‘She defies all odds’
“We were sent to a high-risk OB every 2 weeks to see if her little heart had stopped beating. I was overcome with grief and despair. This was something that only happened to other people.”
‘Days after my divorce, an old childhood friend sent a friend request. It was thrilling. The universe, in all her wisdom, had plans for me.’: Woman marries ‘slice of Heaven on Earth’ after abusive relationships
“I married at 20. I would dutifully serve him only to beg, ‘Please come home.’ His answer was no. He had party plans with celebrities. I was never on his radar. After losing two babies, he emotionally abandoned me. It was the beginning of the end. But the universe, in all her wisdom, had other plans for me. It was our time.”
‘I was sleeping 16 hours a day. I felt someone squeezing my lungs every time I took a breath. ‘You’re fine, just go home and rest.’: Woman battling Lupus urges ‘you’re capable of crushing every obstacle in your path’
“A group of doctors huddled at the end of my bed. I overheard them say, ‘She’s so incredibly sick, we just can’t figure out what’s wrong. She isn’t going to make it.’ I spiked a 104 fever. I was writhing in pain, grunting, moaning, begging for it to stop.”
To The Self-Conscious Woman: Wear The Shorts, Confidence Looks Beautiful On You
“You see the imperfections. I see a woman who deserves to feel beautiful in whatever she chooses to wear.”
Dear Moms, Don’t Let Your Phones Distract You From The Good Stuff
“Mommy, please put down your phone because, well…I miss you.”
10 Things Special Needs Parents Wish They Had
“We always expect our kids with special needs to learn how to live in a world that wasn’t made for them, but we never ask the people around them to learn more about how to live in theirs.”
‘How the hell did you get in here?’ I woke up one Sunday morning and he was gone. I never got a goodbye.’: Widow gets touching signs from late husband
“A monarch butterfly landed on me. He just sat there, pulsing his beautiful wings — for what seemed hours. ‘You again?’ I said. ‘God, I miss you,’ I whispered…to a damn butterfly. It’s been 2 years, and I’m still looking.”
‘I asked the birth mom, ‘Would you like alone time?’ She said yes. I knew it could change everything.’: Mom says ‘we are complete’ after long adoption journey
“I told him we’d need to let our social worker know his change in medical status. He broke down. We presented seven times. Seven no’s. I was discouraged.”
‘Can you take care of her hair?’ We’d be lying if we said we were fully prepared. We had work to do.’: Adoptive mom to transracial family says ‘we are committed to learn and grow’
“We didn’t know everything we needed to know when Josie was born. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared. We acknowledged we needed to educate ourselves.”