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“On Labor Day, I Lost My 3-Year-Old Autistic Son at the Worst Place Possible: A Water Park”: Mom Warns Parents It ‘Takes a Village’...

He went down the slide, ran a few feet ahead of me, turned a corner and was gone. It was as quick as that. The only thing in front of him was a lazy river with a strong current. Even if he could swim, he wouldn’t stand a chance.

“I Received a Call. ‘We Have a 14-Year-Old Boy Who Needs a Home.’ I Was Like ‘NO Way'”: Single Mom Becomes Foster Parent to...

"I was a single mom of two boys, doing it 100% on my own. Why in the world would I even consider being a foster parent?"

Dying Mom Loses It After Watching Son With Down Syndrome Score His First Touchdown

Michigan’s Novi High School senior Robby Heil is the official “hydration manager” for his high school football team. He has Down syndrome, but any player or coach on the team would tell you he’s been an integral part of the Wildcat family for the last three and a half years.

The Day I Overheard My Husband Talking to His Friends About My Stretch Marks

It’s no secret that becoming a mother isn’t exactly the most glamorous job in the world. Pregnancy and labor itself is a reminder that our bodies have a mind of their own.

For many women, postpartum motivation is hard to find. Our bodies are no longer our own, and the remnants of what once housed a child underneath our hearts is now a reminder of the lies that Satan wants us to believe: We are ugly, we are not good enough, we will never look or feel the same again.

Fitness-guru Sharny Kieser is no different. She recently shared on her Facebook page a confession about the body she had always dreamed of, and the beauty she was able to find in the body she had.

“I used to not see the point in exercise because my body was covered in stretch marks,” she writes. “‘What’s the point in having a great body if I will never wear a bikini?’ I’d think. If I was ever invited to the beach or a pool party, I’d always decline. On the odd occasion I couldn’t avoid it, I’d stay inside, helping with the food or the cleaning.”

The 36-year-old mother of six said she’d wear board shorts and T-shirts, only wishing that she could one day have a body that was worthy of a bikini.

Sharny & Julius

“Then one day I overheard my loving husband explaining to a bunch of his friends why he thought stretch marks were beautiful. They were a sign of being a woman. They are a result of the great love a mother has, that she would scar her own body to bring a child to life.”

Sharny & Julius

Sharny says the more her husband talked about the beauty of her scars, the more she finally understood what she’d been getting wrong all along.

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“I had hated myself for the very reasons he loved me. My body wasn’t ruined or disgusting, it had transformed from a selfish girl’s body into a selfless mother’s body, and the scars were a symbol of that transition.

A daily reminder that I was a mother.”

She says that was the first time she looked at her scars with a welcome heart.

Kelsey Straeter
Kelsey Straeter
Kelsey is an editor at Outreach. She’s passionate about fear fighting, freedom writing, and the pursuit of excellence in the name of crucifying perfectionism. Glitter is her favorite color, 2nd only to pink, and 3rd only to pink glitter.

“On Labor Day, I Lost My 3-Year-Old Autistic Son at the Worst Place Possible: A Water Park”: Mom Warns Parents It ‘Takes a Village’...

He went down the slide, ran a few feet ahead of me, turned a corner and was gone. It was as quick as that. The only thing in front of him was a lazy river with a strong current. Even if he could swim, he wouldn’t stand a chance.

“I Received a Call. ‘We Have a 14-Year-Old Boy Who Needs a Home.’ I Was Like ‘NO Way'”: Single Mom Becomes Foster Parent to...

"I was a single mom of two boys, doing it 100% on my own. Why in the world would I even consider being a foster parent?"

Dying Mom Loses It After Watching Son With Down Syndrome Score His First Touchdown

Michigan’s Novi High School senior Robby Heil is the official “hydration manager” for his high school football team. He has Down syndrome, but any player or coach on the team would tell you he’s been an integral part of the Wildcat family for the last three and a half years.