I’m so sorry to hear about your relationship and how you have dealt with the same for so long. As you stated, you saw the signs, but kept up the relationship, where you should have placed a brake on it then. Why suffer for so long, when you have seen no changes? There will be no changes, as long as that person is the way they are. A lot of time people stay in these types of relationships, thinking its’ love and/or they can’t get anyone else. Most are afraid to get out of them. I had an abusive marriage that only lasted for 2yrs. It was no way I wasn’t going to continue such abuse, why? Why would I? I witnessed my mom go through abusive relationships growing up and I knew there was no way I would ever do such a thing. That’s not love in any way. I think better of myself, as well as my 2yr old daughter who now among the abuse, she saw it all. The truth is, some people don’t, won’t or can’t change, so it’s up to you to think more of yourself, make the change and Get out, Get away. Wishing you well!

You’re so right, Go for it, what’s stopping you and you went for it, Congrats! I’m so glad you got the job of writing that you truly wanted with a true statement of being a fan of MMA, along with your Journalism degree, that is amazing, and a great accomplishment. As you’ve stated, take a risk, go for it, and everyone (as well as myself) had this mindset and kept at it, it’s no telling what we can all accomplish. Keep up the good work!

Amen, Love it, as the saying goes, “there’s no place like home”, none; unless you had or s having a bad experience at home. I definitely understand you wanting to get out of that situation at the larger college. Why should you have to be uncomfortable in your own space/own room. The worst thing about it, you had to tiptoe around, because there’s a man in your room, he’s not your man, and you don’t really know him. It would be awkward if you had a man stay over with a roommate. Myself, I would have moved out the first or second time he stayed overnight. That’s a no go.

That’s so cute and sweet. Took risks and it paid off, you met someone you will never ever forget and you met her in an amazing way. This is true love, true friendship, and whether you’re together or not, she left an impression on you that no one can replace. Stuff got in the way, that’s OK, you’re still friends and that’s what matters. Hold on to that memory, because it will be with you forever and you will smile each time you reminisce about it. Keep smiling and know that you have a friend indeed, forever!

What an inspiring story, I only wish I had that much power. I’ve always wanted to do something like this all my life, but never truly pushed it, plus I really didn’t know how to go forward with it. I had a lot of illnesses getting in the way during my life, and that held me up for years and after that I just didn’t go with the idea of starting a business. You did the right thing and when you stated that you worked as a janitor, because you had to do what you did for your family. You were right, that’s what a determined father and strong person will do for their family. In the end, you did it, you’ve left that legacy you wanted for your family. Good for you!

I love this so much, and I totally agree with you. I’ve only gone once. My daughter took me for my 40th Bday, which she was also celebrating passing the bar for the first time, so it was a great celebration for both of us, and I loved it so much. It was an amazing time, to me, like a dream. I had never experienced such joy during that trip. It was so magical and I can’t wait to go back one of these days. Looking forward to it. I’m not sure if Walt Disney truly knew how much this park would affect people and it will live on through so many of us forever. Glad you got to experience it, because a lot of people will never get that opportunity, and that’s sad. Disney is one place everyone should visit at least once in their life.

So sorry for your loss, and I can’t begin to understand your feeling of a trans, or what you go through daily, but I do understand love, true love, and I felt you had that with this couple. I’m sorry you lost your friend, but one day, there will come many others who will support you, befriended you, support you, believe me. You’re not alone and you should never feel that way. I know it’s easy for me to say, because I’m not in your position, but I know for sure, you will never be alone and I’m also sure, you’re a beautiful person, just seeking what any and everyone else is, Love!

Amen, and I’m so sorry about your loss, and what you’re doing is exactly what experiences are for, especially the harder ones you or your loved ones go through. As I’ve stated to someone else who had Lupus, I don’t know much about it, except what I’ve heard and read about, but I can tell it’s horrific to have to live with it. I was never diagnosed with Lupus, but I’ve had (and still do) my many diagnoses of illnesses almost my entire life. I’ve gone through x2 cancer diagnoses, I now have diabetes, Afib (heart condition), Kidney disease, and many other related illnesses, so I know what it’s like to live with and through pain. It’s a headache, but what you’re doing for your loved one is a brace and wonderful things. You will encourage others with and through her story. Keep your head up, she’s very proud of you. What you’re doing is a beautiful thing!

This is beautiful, such a memoir to a great person. You did him very well. You’re holding on to his greatness, having his memory live on. Too bad you didn’t get to personally meet him, but as you’ve stated, he’s with you all in spirit and will always be. I’m so glad your husband is honoring his memory with his money clip. Funny the little one didn’t want to wear it, but that’s kids for you. He’ll know better as he age, but I’m glad you decided to put it in use and wear it. It’s also funny how your son also mimics some of your husband’s Father movement, as well as his personality. So he will continue to live through your husband, as well as his grandson. Hoping for the best!

So beautiful, she will be missed, I can tell. I never knew my grandmother growing up, but your story reminds me of my relationship with my mom and when/how I found out she had passed. I loved her dearly, but more so in her last few years on this earth. When I received the call that she had passed, I was very upset. I had never been so upset in my life. I felt that I was robbed of something I wasn’t expecting. I say that because I had just visited her the night before, so I didn’t expect her to pass, and if I knew that she was even close to that, I would have stayed with her all night. I hated that she died alone and that bothered me for so long, and it still does. I feel that no one should die alone. So when I say I was very angry, it took me a while to not be mad at God. Why would he do that, I kept saying to myself. My elder sister tried to make me feel better by saying that “my mother wouldn’t have wanted me to be there at that time”, but I don’t believe that. So I know how you feel when you have lost someone that you were so close to. I knew our mom at her age was going to pass one day, but I rather knew when she was about to take her last breath. Your grandma seems to have been a great person, and what she did for you, I’m looking forward to doing the same with my grandkids, especially my granddaughter. Thus far we are pretty close and have been since birth. Your grandma will always be at your side, watching over you. She knows what’s going on. Her love will follow you for the rest of your life.

This is beautiful, and I’m so sorry for your loss. We all at times deal with a day late, a dollar short moments and feel so bad about it, but it happens. We get so busy in our everyday lives, we just forget the most important moments, times and things that touch other lives. You will always remember the smiles, the way she helped with the smiles, and holding others hands to uplift them. Remember all the joy that was brought into your life from this one person and it was the best that you could possibly share with any other. It’s always a joy to help others, always!

This is beautiful, and I’m sorry you lost a true love. Someone that cherished you with all he had. And, No, you don’t find that often and what you promised him, you should hold dear. He wanted to make sure if it wasn’t him, it would be someone who was his example, love you dearly. There’s a true saying, “you don’t miss the water, until the well runs dry”. This is what sort of happened to you after Brain was no longer there, but it’s OK, the love and friendship you did share with him will always be there in your heart and soul, and you should hold on to that. One day in your life, if another Brain appears, you’ll know it.

This is so real, true life experience from the time you were small, thinking the world was magical, to find out later, it’s not so. I remember it and I remember all the fairy tales I read to my grand kids. See, I believed in some magic when I was younger, but not much, because I (we) my siblings and I never read fairy tales. The few stories we found out about were in the library as we were growing up, but before we were able to read and go to the library to obtain these books, we just never heard the stories, so how amazed we were when we did. I began reading stories to my child head on, as well as my grandchildren, but all the times I was reading them to them, I knew deep down inside, I will have to someday let them know that most of these stories aren’t real. They are make-believe, and that’s sad. I felt really bad after reading them to my grandkids which hasn’t been that long ago, because the world changed for the worse each generation and I know now that they’re teens, they’re wondering, what happened to all those stories that their parents and grandma read to them. They don’t exist. So, I know exactly how you feel. I did so much pretending when I was young, but I had to. There was nothing to compare, there was nothing that great during my childhood, not like the movies I watched and the books I read. Our life was never anyway close to that. So as we grow, we know better but we still at times wish for some of the magic for our lives. You never forget those childhood moments you were lost and at times, I still feel lost until I find myself. You seem to be a very strong person, and you will be OK!

Beautiful, I lost my father, as well as my mother to whom I was very close, so what you feel for your father, I feel for my mother. Yes, I miss my father as well, but we were never that close. The most I remember of my father is his preaching and his discipline. Our mother was the backbone of our family, the one who was truly there for us, and there were a lot of us, My parents had x15 children, so she was truly busy with us all, but she did it the best way she could to spread her love with us all. As I got older, we had an even closer relationship, especially when she became ill with Alzheimer’s, those were the worst of times. It took so much out of her, from her and when that disease took her, it took her from her children as well. Yes, it seems as if your Father was a good and faithful servant, gone but never forgotten. Just as my precious Mother. Rest in Heaven!

I so love this, and it reminds me of a poem I once wrote, “Be Happy The Way You Are”. You and your looks weren’t sent here to please anyone but you. You are you and no one can change that. Why would you or anyone think the way they came into the world was a mistake? You were made to be different. Everyone can’t look or be alike, otherwise, how would I be able to distinguish you from me? As there are different flowers, different seasons, there are and will always be different looking people and it’s up to you to cherish yourself, even if no one else does. What is the perfect look? Who made that decision? No matter what the world may throw at you, you are unique and your uniqueness is what makes you stand out from everyone else. Believe and know that the way you were formed and the way you look was never a mistake. You were made to be you, not him, not her, not me, not them, Just you. Be you, be proud of yourself, and always believe in yourself!

Aaaamen, you are some strong person. Congrats to you. You did it, through it all. You had one of the most heaviest burdens of all time, where you missed your own childhood/teen years. You literally became a parent at 15 years of age, or before. You are and were a miracle child, believe it or not. If it wasn’t for you, where would your younger siblings be today? Yet, through it all, you attended college, got a law degree and that’s hard to do, I know, my daughter’s a lawyer, even though she’s teaching now. I remember all the late night/overnight studying she did; yet you did it through all of your adversaries. Be proud of yourself, because I am. Wow!

Oh my, this touched me in so many ways. I’m so proud of you. I’ve never thought about taking my own life, but I’ve definitely been upset/angry with God. I’ve questioned, “what had I done in life to have so much placed upon me”? I’ve been so angry, but I wasn’t too angry for long, but still have those feelings of anger or sadness, because I’m still going through a lot, but I’m living and I know there are others who are dealing with a lot worse. I had a person who performed tests in an MD office who was playing with me one day and said, “you need to get some superglue and glue yourself back together”, as if I’m falling apart. It started with a horrific abusive marriage that only lasted two years, then I was on my own struggling to raise my child, but I was free. Years later had a head-on collision with not only breast cancer, but colon cancer as well. A few years later, I developed lymphedema, then diabetes. A few more years later I was diagnosed with Afib, and then another whooper, stage 3 kidney disease, with a lot more related illness with my back/ shoulders, arm pain and so on, but as I stated, I’m alive. I can live my life and enjoy it a lot even with all my mishaps, because there are so many who can’t. During my breast cancer period, I prayed like I never have before and I had a premonition that I was going to be OK, and I was, that was 2002. I also felt that I had passed away for a moment during one of my many surgeries, because I had a feeling of peace once during the surgery, as if I was flooding downward in a pool of water, going towards a large bright light, and I saw my daughter waving trying to save me. I saw the sadness in her eyes, but I told her everything will be OK, because I felt peace, I felt nothing but peace. So whatever that experience was, it was beautiful and I wasn’t afraid. After waking up, I told my daughter of the experience and every since that time, whenever I embark on something not so great, I use a phrase I’ve heard all my life, “this too shall pass”. I thank God he saved me, not only once through cancer, but twice. And as you stated, we must give ourselves time to just take it all in, relax and release. And I too, use my experience to share with others, to inspire, give Hope and to say that no matter what, you can almost get through anything, as long as you believe and do your best to be more positive with your condition/conditions. My experience has been shared in many magazine/cancer related websites as well, because I survived it twice and it was for a reason. I truly felt you, God Bless!

OMG, you’ve done quite a bit in one year, it’s amazing and it’s truly a miracle. I only wish I can do more traveling. I’m sure if I decide to write down all that I’ve done in one year, the list would probably be just as long, but without the traveling. I’m working on more exciting things, that would include more traveling. I want to do more, because I came so close to losing my life more than once; had cancer twice, so now I just want to live and do more with my life than I ever thought possible. Most of all, I want to travel more. I’m so glad you got to do a lot of those things, and how you’re truly working on becoming a more responsible adult, which I’m sure you’re not far from. And even though it may not seem to be moving the way or as fast as you want it, patience, you’re almost there. I know you’ll do it. You’re already on the right path.

I love it, watering that plant to a New Life. Thank you for responding to my statement and as you’ve stated, every single day you (we’re) getting closer to figuring out all of our abilities through our disabilities. There’s so much we can conquer when we put our minds to it, just as anyone else. Blessing to your future!

I’m so sorry that you’ve lost someone so dearly, I’m so sorry for that. I don’t know much about Lupus, but have heard and read a little about it, because I’m always searching articles on illnesses dealing with pain. I’ve had cancer twice and it comes with a lot of pain, as well as complications you may have to live with afterwards, and I do. It cost me chronic pain at times, at/and around the cancer surgical area, where medications don’t even help. I also live with other illnesses, that causes me horrible fatigue, and other related symptoms, which comes with some pain. So I sort of know what your sister went through, I just hate that she lost her life to her illness so soon. Where you lost a very close person that you had in your life. She’s still with you somewhere, somehow!