Story told by Anita Aubuchon, written by Alli Vail My second husband and I were married on August 5, 2000 and we immediately began talking about having a baby together. Although I was 38 and had three beautiful daughters from my first marriage, I wanted to give my husband a child of his own. We named the child we were planning Zachary Curtis and...

He told me with a pair of diamond earrings. “Happy birthday,” my husband said, his eyes glassy. I knew something was wrong. My birthday was still a few weeks away. Then David said it: he was going to Iraq. He’d received orders that his squadron would be deployed in a few weeks, and he would be leaving for war… on my birthday. He’d...

Facing the unexpected? Don't do it alone, talk to a confidential email mentor. It’s been several years now, but I can still clearly picture the day I found out my teenage daughter was pregnant. I remember her standing in the kitchen saying, “Mom, embrace it!” My initial response to Amber’s words were, “Yeah, right, that’s easy for...

I had always been fortunate in the past. I was a quiet girl and I kept to myself. The sharp-tongued gossips in town had always left me alone. My life was not interesting enough for a discussion in line at the market or over a cool drink in a shady café. I studied, worked hard and spent time with the other girls my age. It was hot where I grew...