I never expected a routine grocery stop to change anything in my life. After a long day spent editing dense cybersecurity documentation, I wandered the aisles in a fog, thinking only of grabbing pasta and heading home. Life had felt heavy for a long time—ever since my ex-husband walked out years ago, leaving me with two teenagers, overdue bills, and the task of rebuilding everything from scratch. I’d created a steady, if tiring, rhythm for myself: work, parent, sleep, repeat. So when I heard a young mother cry out near the canned goods aisle, it cut straight through the noise of the store nd the noise of my own thoughts. Continue reading…
