Modern Loss Favorites

Meet My ‘Dead Mom Friends’ 

By

I’ve found kinship (but no judgment or pity) among my friends — and even acquaintances — who have also experienced a loss of a parent. 

The Un-Telling

By

I shared our pregnancy news early — asserting that I wanted my community with me in joy, but also in potential sorrow. Now that I had miscarried, there were so many calls to make.

Giving Birth at the Age Mom Died

By

I had my children young, keeping in mind that my own mother died 46. Now I’m 46, missing my mother, grieving my 12-year-old son, and also happily, unexpectedly pregnant.

Hillary and Chelsea Clinton

Hillary Clinton’s Condolence Note to a Newly Bereaved Mother

By

But this one is a condolence note to a mother whose baby died at four days old.

‘Call It Grief and Then See if it Changes How You View it’

By

Grief can have a clarifying effect, a way of lasering away the mundane. Here's how you can apply some lessons from loss to this year's surreal new world.

How I’m Creating the Grief Vocabulary My Language Doesn’t Have

By

The Dutch wish each other strength to move through tough times. But in loss, we need different words of support.

Dad-Die Issues

By

Death brings up so many feelings and conversations. Plans to be made. Legacies to cement. I had none of that.

Are You My Papi?

By

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.

My Instagram Therapy

By

With @textsforjohn, I can still walk through the world looking for things to share with my brother — even though he’s no longer here.

When My Husband Died, Facebook Became My Boyfriend

By

Some people see social media as a trigger during times of great suffering. But after my husband died, it helped me stay afloat amid my grief.

Saving the Date for a Wedding That Will Never Take Place

By and

I was supposed to be married on November 9, but tragedy stopped this self-proclaimed ‘Bridezilla’ in her tracks.

Putting the Satan Back in Christmas

By

The holiday season may bring up all kinds of memories when you’re grieving. But what if your loved one was more Scrooge than Santa?

Unmet Love

By

I never ‘met’ the babies I lost, but I love them.

Meet Patricia, Aunt Esther’s Amazon Alter Ego

By

It was only after my aunt's death that I really got to know her -- through hundreds of Amazon.com product reviews.

The 9 Things No One Tells You About Scattering Ashes

By

Nine things no one tells you about scattering ashes.

Mom’s Memory Was My ‘Something Blue’

By

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

The Obituarist

By

After escaping the World Trade Center on 9/11, I left Wall Street to become a professional obituary writer. I never looked back.

4 Ways to Take Charge of Funeral Planning

By

No need to be passive about it; you've got more options than you might think.

It’s Hard To Rattle the Dead, But I’m Trying

By

Aunt Sherrie died by suicide, leaving me her best leather boots and a Barbie collection for the ages. If only she could see those things now.

6 Tips for Talking to Kids About Death

By

We can’t gloss over the topic without denying a fundamental part of our lives and our family. Here’s how we navigate the conversation.  

1 2 3 4