Modern Loss - Candid conversation about grief. Beginners welcome.

Recommended Today

Having a Dead Sibling Is Full of Contradictions

by Anne Pinkerton

It’s been a decade since my brother died. His death has shaped me and it has confounded me — with its curses and blessings, too.

In the Face of Death, We Laughed

by Laura Gentle

As AIDS ravaged my friend's body, levity carried us through the end.

Important Guidelines for Large Adult Orphans

by Megan Neuringer

On the one hand, you must become both parent and child; on the other, you may request to to be flown to Rome for a pasta dinner.

The Journey Cake

The memory of a pastry my husband and I carried from Italy to L.A. carries me through my grief over his death.

Mom’s Memory Was My ‘Something Blue’

by Marisa Renee Lee

How I incorporated my late mother into my wedding celebration. Plus, great tips for memorializing a loved one at your nuptials.

Laundry, Before and After

by Jacqueline Dooley

I used to resent the endless sorting, washing and folding. Then my daughter got sick — and everything changed.

Becoming My Father — For My Son

by Geoffrey W. Melada

I cannot rescue my dad, but I can mentor my child.

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Our Favorites

The Soundtrack of Loss by Tré Miller Rodríguez Our Mourning, Noon & Night columnist explores music’s evolving role in our grief journeys. Plus a Spotify playlist of the songs that have carried us through our darkest days.
Missing the Goodbye by Affad Shaikh For immigrant families like mine, loss can mean mourning from a great distance.
My Mom’s Violent Death Gave Me PTSD by Erin Donovan I had to remind myself, repeatedly, that my mom was dead. If I can imagine what it feels like to have dementia, this might be it. Having to be told the same bad news again and again and again.
How To Write an Obituary: A Primer by Jule Banville The tips you need for crafting a compelling true-life story (plus: examples of obits that got it right).
The Myth of Protecting People from Suffering by Jennifer Pastiloff When we try to shield people from pain in an effort to not break their hearts, we end up doing just the opposite.
No Unfinished Business? by Angie Dalfen I’ll never know what my father would have thought about my life choices — the ones I would have asked his opinion about and the ones I wouldn’t have.
Are You My Papi? by Mathew Rodriguez As a young man, I lost my father to AIDS-related illness. Now I search for echoes of him in the men I choose to love.

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