There are many times throughout life when we feel confused or alone. Then we stumble across a brave person sharing their story, and suddenly our perspective shifts and things don't look quite as bad or insurmountable as they once did. We may no longer feel hopeless, frightened, or lost. Instead, we walk away with a fuller heart and a new outlook on life. We feel seen in a world where it is so easy to become just another brick in the wall.
At CafeMom, we love to share these inspiring stories with our readers. We offer opinions, perspectives, and stories from people from all walks of life. In 2022, we heard from many with the courage to share their lives with us, and we are so grateful. In case you're looking for some knowledge or wisdom heading into 2023, here are 15 of our most inspiring stories from the last year.
How Mindfulness & Art Help Me Navigate My Endometriosis When I Feel 'Half Alive'
During life's journey, we sometimes come across people suffering silently from illnesses we cannot see. They endure pain as they wait for a proper diagnosis and sometimes even after doctors figure out what is happening to their bodies. Sometimes the physical pain is coupled with mental exhaustion.
One woman taught us how self-care and love have helped her to stay mentally fit while her body has suffered. She helps us to understand that a few minutes a day can make all the difference in our overall health and wellness.
A Mom of 7 Who Endured Devastating Pregnancy Losses Shares Her Advice for Navigating Grief
One in four women has experienced a pregnancy loss. No one can take that grief away, and every woman deals with it differently. A mother of seven shared with us her story of IVF, pregnancy, miscarriage, and eventually growing her family through adoption.
It is a harrowing tale of working to overcome grief but never forgetting it and realizing that it is OK to be sad and to want to be a mother. Everyone's journey to motherhood is different, and they are all beautiful.
British Couple Welcomes 4 Baby Girls After Originally Expecting Triplets
When a British couple discovered they were expecting, they were ecstatic. During the first trimester ultrasound, they found out that instead of expecting one baby, they were going to have three. The news was stunning but not nearly as incredible as the discovery at the next ultrasound that the couple would welcome four baby girls.
This birth story is just too good to miss, as dad had a bit of a mishap at the hospital. But today all is well, and the family is settled in and looking forward to a happy holiday season.
When I Lost My Son & I Was so Alone in My Grief, No One Understood Me
A mother shared her story of infant loss and how she had to navigate the grief from losing her son while continuing to be a present and loving mother to her other three children. It is a story of hardship and inspiration as she found a group of women who helped support her and move forward. She helps us understand that grief is real and powerful; although you do need to accept it, grief doesn't have to win.
Widow on TikTok Swears Nursery Cam Shows Her Late Husband's Spirit Caressing Sleeping Baby
This story is for you if you believe in signs from beyond our world. A mother lost her husband in a freak accident and was left to care for their children, including an infant her husband had never met. She caught a video of the baby on a nursery cam, and the footage will give you chills. You may rethink your stance on angels and spirits after checking out the TikTok clip.
Woman Miraculously Gives Birth to Twins Conceived 1 Week Apart From Each Other
This is a story about faith and miracles and one family's journey with a miscarriage that led to the birth of two beautiful boys. The boys were conceived about a week apart and are as different as night and day. The story is unique and offers a glimmer of hope that anything can happen.
My Family Doesn't 'Match' at All, but Adoption & Embryo Donation Made Us Whole
What defines a family isn't want they look like. Instead, it is about love and how the members of that family feel about each other. One woman shared her story of adoption and embryo donation, and that even though her skin is dark and her children's is light, their family doesn't see color. It is a beautiful tale of love, generosity, and hope and the certainty that love is colorblind.
Parents of Kids With Rare Disease Take Them on World Vacation Before They Lose Their Sight
If you knew your children would soon go blind, what memories would you make with them? A family of six faced a devastating blow when they discovered that three of their four children suffer from a rare genetic disorder that will eventually cause them to go blind. Instead of wallowing in their sorrow and grief, the family took the trip of a lifetime so their children could see the world.
I'm Raising My 4 Kids Sober After Spending Months in Jail & Beating My Addiction to Heroin
Watching a loved one suffer from addiction is heartbreaking. We want so badly for the person to be healthy and well, but it's sometimes hard not to enable them to stay sick. A mother finally found the change she needed to kick her heroin habit while she was confined to a jail cell. She has turned her life around completely and is now living a dream life with her four children, completely sober.
My Son's Autism Diagnosis Help Me Discover & Embrace the Fact That I'm Autistic Too
It's funny. Sometimes in life, we don't really know who we are until we become parents. For one woman, the quest to help her son turned into a journey of self-discovery that led her to a self-diagnosis of autism.
Since she announced her diagnosis to family and friends, she has been living a happier life and understands so much more about herself. The discovery story helps us see that we are never too old to learn, adapt, or change.
Inspiring Mom Uses Positive Thinking & Affirmations To Encourage Her Blind Daughter
No parent wants their child to be different in a way that may make them a target, and we certainly don't want them to miss out on any experiences that other kids have just because of their differences.
This year, we learned about a mother who has taught her daughter a beautiful chant of positive affirmations that all children, and adults, could learn from. Helping her blind daughter to understand that she is just as worthy and valuable as anyone in the seeing world is a gift. We could all use this mantra in our own lives.
TikTok Parents Make a Perfect 'Period Board' for Their Teenage Daughters & It's Brilliant
If you remember having your period as a young girl, you may recall how uncomfortable and frightening it could be and how much it just sucked. A duo of TikTok parents creates a genius monthly period board for their daughters.
It is just what you want and crave during that time of the month, but more than that, it is a huge dose of love that every girl could use from her parents. Their thoughtfulness and love inspires us as parents.
I Was Depressed After Getting Pregnant as a Teenager — But Slowly I'm Finding My Way
Teenage pregnancy is hard. Sometimes young girls are lucky enough to have the support of the baby's father and their families, but other times, it isn't such an easy road. It has been a journey for one mom who chose to raise her baby at a young age. She has struggled emotionally, hoping she has done the right things for herself and her daughter.
The two have grown up together and made a decent life, and her story goes out to other teenage girls facing the same situation. She wants them to know that there is hope.
After Struggling With Infertility, I Adopted the 'Sickest Baby in the NICU'
A mother is a mother, no matter her journey. After struggling with infertility, a mother decided to adopt an incredibly ill baby in the NICU because even the sickest babies need moms. She went from a childless wife to a devoted NICU mom overnight.
She selflessly cared for the little girl, and the two are thriving a year later. She helps us to realize that everyone deserves love and that when you give love, you get love back.
How a Mother's Suicide Saved Me From My Own Breastfeeding-Related Postpartum Depression
Breastfeeding and the pressure to breastfeed can be daunting for some women. Sadly, this pressure is too much for some mothers, and they go to extreme, sometimes unhealthy, measures to maintain what they feel is the perfect way to feed their babies.
One mother shared her story with CafeMom this year, not only to spread awareness of suicide but also to let women know that there is no shame in being unable to breastfeed.
