Abusing a kid can destroy their entire existence, and I’ve seen it up close in the life of a woman I love. — Trigger Warning: this article contains discussions of sexual assault that may not be suitable for all readers. Fearless community, please read with care. “One day, you will find my diary, and only then will you understand everything.” As she said these words, a hidden and painful truth moistened her eyes.

Feelings for a grandma who saved a child from uncaring adults — Nobody knows what we mean to each other, Grandma. Nobody knows how great our love is because I was just a strange and troublesome child in others’ eyes. They wouldn’t imagine I was full of love. But you always treated me the same as everyone else. As if I were…

A love letter to my baby, who will be in our lives in a few days. — At some earlier time in my life, I had tried to imagine how it would feel to sense your baby growing inside you. Today, I know one can’t truly understand this kind of devotion until it happens to you — it truly breeds a unique new understanding of what love…

We will never forget that day; she was going to be a grandmother. — We will never forget the last time we saw her eyes open. We had moved to France some months before to live closer to her. She was my mother-in-law — my belle-mère — and had such a kind and gentle heart. …

After my first love tore me apart, I understood why. — When I was seventeen, I knew nothing about love, and I knew even less about myself. If someone asked me how I was feeling, I didn’t know what to say. I had mainly been studying locked in my room, overprotected by my family, and scared of the world. …

I couldn’t tell them in person that their daughter died — The time had come. I had to tell my grandparents that my mother had died. Their daughter had died. She had left us a few hours earlier, and it wasn’t the virus that killed her but a depression of a lifetime. …

We appreciate life more intensely since confinement — Spring has come without warning in a week where each day looks the same as the day before. It’s caught us all in our pajamas. We don’t even know what day it is. …

I just lost my parents, and their story was magical. — This piece is written from the eyes and pain of my life partner, who has just lost his parents. With love, respect, and the aim of paying tribute to him and them. When I was little, I hardly smiled I can’t recall our family having fits of laughter or deep conversations at the table. …

Nothing will be the same after this pandemic — Before all this started, we were different people. Before we realized we were confined; before we understood that by staying home, we are saving lives—we had a different perspective on life. We lived too fast. Our scale of values was different, probably wrong. We were always too busy. We could…