“I heard the words, ‘Kaden passed away this morning.’ The horror of realizing your child will no longer have a father is one I would not wish upon anyone. I did not get out of bed for the next two months. ‘If this child needs to be with another family, you need to get me on board.’ The moment I saw them, I knew they were the family.”
‘I’m going to be a daddy!’ That was the last time I saw him in person. I felt so alone. How on earth could I give my child to someone else?’: After partner’s death, woman pursues open adoption for son, ‘There is more love than I ever imagined’
‘Start the business. What’s the worst that could happen?’ He knows the beauty in risk. He makes me want to take 10,000 more risks before I die.’: Woman says partner ‘doesn’t know how unmatched he is to me’
“He knows how to hold his own. He knows how to survive. He knows how to ration a foot-long sub sandwich for days and weather the dark night. He knows how to root for the underdog and take care of people. But within all that beauty he holds, there are a few things he doesn’t quite know.”
‘We rushed to go get our nails done but her reason ‘why’ struck me right in my heart.’: Mental Health counselor says, ‘you never know someone’s ‘why’
“Nail salons are finally open so, of course, I went to go get my little nails painted. As usual, I chatted with the person who was next to me. We laughed about how all of ‘us’ have rushed to go get our nails done but her reason for doing it struck me right in my heart.”
‘I saw this woman in distress. A family had all their groceries rung up but couldn’t find their debit card. I told her not to worry. We would pay for her groceries.’: With small act of kindness, woman teaches others the meaning of paying it forward
“It was about us helping when we can. 15 minutes later, we were outside. She and her husband came up to us. She touched our hearts.”
‘If I was in England, I’d go out with you!’ He messaged me instantly. My heart was beating across an ocean.’: Widow celebrates 8-year anniversary of meeting late husband, ‘He showed me what real happiness was’
“I drove to the airport that day with my hands shaking. He was pushing his luggage cart towards me with the biggest smile I’ve ever seen. You know in the movies where everything goes slow motion and the music starts and the rest of the world falls away and the people seem like the only two on the planet? THAT. EXACTLY.”
‘They asked for pictures ‘to see if my body was suitable to model underwear or just clothing.’ My worth is not for sale.’: Woman says, ‘Demand better from the brands you buy from’
“It all seemed above board. By the third email, they asked for more images of me.”
‘Galen, babe. We probably need to get moving.’ He didn’t respond. I thought he was just in a deep sleep.’: Woman loses husband to heart attack after 6-year battle with cancer
“He had a rough night with heartburn. ‘Galen, Galen.’ I set my hand upon his arm. He was COLD. The love of my life, the man I’d been married to for 13 years, was not breathing. The police officer hugged me from behind, tears streaming down my face as I choked on snot. I watched them put the love of my life in a black body bag. I would find out later that week, the EMTs had originally gone to the wrong location.”
‘I screamed to the paramdeics, ‘You aren’t moving fast enough. HELP HIM PLEASE.’ I sat in a ball on the Airbnb floor, cradling his face in my hands.’: Woman loses husband to ‘unexplained’ cause, ‘His love carries me through’
“I was startled from my sleep at 10 p.m. from what I thought was Kyle snoring loudly. I quickly realized he was struggling to breathe. I screamed for help. My sisters called 911 as I cradled his face in my hands, begging. Pleading. He quickly turned blue. As I lay on the floor waiting and praying for a miracle, I felt a giant hug from behind.”
‘I became a jail wife overnight. I was judged and ridiculed for standing by a man who made a mistake.’: ‘Jail wife’ starts community to write letters to inmates, ‘I believe in second chances’
“Friends and family dropped off like dead flies. That’s when I decided I would become the jail wife who helps these inmates, not the cop-bashers wife who should hide with shame. We all make mistakes, these men or women were just caught.”
‘We smiled and said, ‘I needed this today.’ White cop and black man, we were both hurting. We walked around for an hour, just listening to each other.’: Police officer urges ‘we must build change together’
“I told him I wished I was the cop who encountered Floyd, because he’d still be alive today. I told him there are good police officers out there. But most of all, I told him none of that matters, because I was there to listen. Calvin texted me a few hours later: ‘I believe things happen for a reason. We should see each other again.’ I believe him. Today, I listened. And today, I gained an ally and a friend.”