Today, someone close to me did something extremely hurtful to me. It’s killing me inside. Crying, I stumbled across this website and read about the good acts, the heartbreak, the loss, and the courage of others, and I realized, I need to put things into perspective. To everyone who has ever posted a story here, thank you. You all are keeping me alive inside right now and MMT.

Today, I realized how lucky I am, on many levels, when I received an email from my brother in Afghanistan that read, "Our vehicle drove over an IED today, but luckily it only partially detonated. Nobody was seriously injured." MMT

Today, as the thirty plus business people stepped off my bus, the only small voice that said, "Thank you" echoed from an eight year old girl who buses alone across the city everyday for school at 6:30AM. MMT

Today, as a motorcycle drove past me on the sidewalk and revved its engine, I thought about the hundreds of people - from co-workers, friends, family, to fellow motorcycle riders - who attended your funeral last week. I think about you everyday, and the fact that the line went out the door of the funeral home and wrapped around the corner MMT.

Today, my grandfather passed away unexpectedly. Tomorrow is a huge celebration in honor of him and my grandmothers 80th birthday and 58th wedding anniversary, with all of our family and friends who traveled here from all corners of the country. While this timing came as devastating shock, there is no other time our entire extended family would have all been in the same place at a time when we needed it the most. Life's unexpected timing makes me grateful and MMT.

Today, I almost gave one of my students a detention for coming to school with rainbow colored hair, which is against our school's dress code. She was always the quiet, conservative one, so I asked why she had done it. She told me that she was undergoing chemo in four days for (I had no idea), and figured she might as well dye her hair while she still could. "I’ve always wanted to dye my hair. And I know it’s possible that this might be my last chance. I’m getting in a few life experiences I was holding out on," she said. I obviously cleared things with the principal’s office and let her get away with no detention. Her situation and good spirits MMT.

Today, I called the little dorm where I've been living for the last three months "Home" for the first time. I'll always miss my hometown and family, but I think I've finally settled into the next step of my life, even though I was homesick and thought I never would. MMT

Today, I yelled at my 10-year-old son because he told me he spent half of his allowance, and he wouldn't tell me what he had spent it on. An hour later, I found out he used the money to buy me flowers so I would “smile and beat my depression.” MMT

Today, on the scene of the accident, as my fellow firefighters and I tried to free her from the 1500 pound fiery wreckage that was crushing her abdomen, I asked her how she was doing. She said, “I am so thankful knowing that my husband and son decided not to come to the store with me, and are completely okay.” MMT

Today, even though it's been nearly three years since the accident that took my husband's life, and I'm visiting our old city without having any clue whether or not she still lives here, I keep looking at everyone passing by, hoping I'll see her again so I can tell her that I forgive her. MMT

Today, we got a notice that a sex offender was living in our area. He had molested his two kids and served his time. It took me a minute to realize that the man on the poster was the guy I thought I was in love with and heartbroken over when I was a teenager. MMT

Today was the first day I went to work without a bandage covering my wrist to hide the scars. The first thing my co-worker did was pull me into a hug and say "I'm proud of you." He is the only person who has bothered to realize I cut myself almost every day and the only one that cares when I don't. MMT

Today, as I was trying to encourage her, telling her that you can't expect people to be what YOU think they should be, but to accept them for who THEY ARE and the way they fit into your life… I wondered, did she realize that I learned this lesson from her, the hard way, when she broke my heart years ago. MMT

Today, I was crossing a busy intersection at a crosswalk near downtown Miami when a car ran the red light and nearly drove directly over me. But before the car got to me, another car t-boned it, pushing the car just far enough forward so that it grazed my leg without knocking me over. I stood there just a few feet from the twisted, smoking metal with nothing more than a light scrape on my right leg. MMT

Today, I attended my grandmother's funeral. She died just a few short hours after we buried my grandfather - the love of her life. While it is heartbreaking to no longer have the two of them in my life, the power of their love, and the way they passed almost simultaneously, MMT.

Today, after traveling around the world for the last two years straight, I found myself back in my hometown, sitting at my parent’s dinner table eating supper, and for the first time in 730 days, I felt completely lost. MMT

Today, I attended my beloved grandfather's funeral. He was a blue-collar man who worked as a school bus driver right up until the day he was diagnosed with brain cancer. As I was surrounded by hundreds of people, including students, who loved him, I realized that even though he never made much money in life, he left this world a rich man in so many ways. It made me question my priorities, and MMT.

Today in downtown Miami where I work, I was sitting on a bench outside the office building eating a sandwich, when the office cleaning lady came up and sat on the bench next to me. She was on her lunch break too. We made small talk, and she said, “I am so happy to be in the United States, and to find work at such a great company, working for such good people. As a cleaning lady here, I am able to feed and clothe my children, and keep a solid roof over our heads - something I struggled with in Haiti for nearly a decade.” MMT

Today, my mom would have been 59, and a wonderful first time grandmother. MMT

Today, I asked the students in my 3rd grade class to bring in a parent for an after school art project gallery walk. The happiest, sweetest girl in my class walked through the door with a huge smile on her face as she held hands with her parent. She beamed, "Mrs. Phillips, this is my mom!" and pointed to her parent standing next to her. This 'parent' was 16 years old. Her real parents both died in a fatal car accident awhile back, and her eldest sister has been helping raise her. MMT

Today, even though it’s been ten months since doctors gave him four to six months to live, my dad was physically present at my wedding. He was in a wheelchair, and he didn’t have the strength to speak, but he had a smile on his face bigger than any smile I have seen from him in a long time. He passed away peacefully late this evening after the festivities were over. MMT

Today, around mid-night at a senior graduation party, the creepy goth kid who I spent the last 4 years avoiding, physically fought off the two guys who I had been hanging out with all evening after one of them slipped something into my drink. He used my cell phone to call my older brother to come pick me up. I was in a complete daze when this happened, but I just found out that one of the guys I was hanging out with was accused of date rape four years ago MMT.

Today, five years after their divorce, and less than a month after each of them were individually diagnosed with life threatening cancer, my parents re-married. MMT

Today, it's been four years since my Dad was involved in a 3 car collision. The resulting CT scan he got at the hospital was the only clue leading to his Type 4 cancer diagnosis. With treatment, a disease that would have killed him in months was slowed down enough that he was able to live another few years and see me graduate high school last year. He said it was his only goal left, and although standing was difficult, he still managed to come to my track meets. The fact that this random car accident gave him more life to live MMT.