I realize now that what people were really looking for as they watched my grief unfold was reassurance that they, too, could survive this terrible thing if it happened to them.

A few months after my son was born, almost every friend I had with the exception of a very special few totally disappeared.

Whatever the reason, you anticipate the coming holiday season not with joy, not with hope, but with dread.

In honor of Veterans Day, VProud.tv is asking: is it possible to see the signs of post-traumatic stress disorder before things get bad at home?

There are no words to take the pain away, but simply letting that person know you are there for them is more than enough.

I’m sorry I was foolish enough to ever think I could forget you. I’m sorry I didn’t carry you for 9 months, but know that I will forever carry you in my heart.

If I was a half-way decent friend and person, I would’ve let her talk freely, no matter how excruciating it was for me.

They need to see their mom crying. They need to see me struggling. They need to see me being human.

Any tough thing that comes their way, you will be there no matter how hard it is because you will summon that inner badass that lies within us all.

Losing a parent isn’t easy, and it gets no simpler with age; the thing we at Mamalode want you to remember when going through this grief is that you are not alone.