Modern Loss Favorites

Unmet Love

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

Meet Patricia, Aunt Esther’s Amazon Alter Ego

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

Mom’s Memory Was My ‘Something Blue’

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

The Obituarist

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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

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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

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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

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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.  

10 Ways to Overcome Grief-Related Anxiety

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The author of a new book offers her step-by-step guide to managing the monster sibling of grief.

It’s Halloween: Trigger Treat

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Halloween imagery takes on new meaning in the wake of my father’s suicide.

How To Write an Obituary: A Primer

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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

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When we try to shield people from pain in an effort to not break their hearts, we end up doing just the opposite.

We Left Everything Unsaid

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When my husband got sick, we focused exclusively on hope; when he died, I was consumed with regret.

Tips For Getting Through the Holidays When You’re Totally Sad

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Maybe someday the season won’t feel like someone is taking a melon baller to my heart, but for now getting through it is about knowing what to avoid and what to embrace.

Yes, You Should Binge-Watch Netflix Alone on Mother’s Day

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Cut yourself a break on Mother's Day — with or without a dead partner.

No Unfinished Business?

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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.

Four Days

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It is fundamentally heartbreaking to meet the love of your life so soon after losing the person who was most fanatically committed to your happiness.

Gold Star Widow

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At my first Memorial Day conference for military families, I found kindred spirits among the brokenhearted.

My Cat’s Death Broke My Brain

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It wasn’t just my heart that went to pieces when she left my side.

Dad’s Voice in the ‘Tower of Song’

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The last time I spoke to my father, the subject was, of all things, Leonard Cohen — the musician my dad believed brought 'punctuation to experience.'

My Sudden-Onset Only Child Syndrome

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I always defined myself as an older sister to a younger brother. But after his sudden death in our 40s, I'm struggling to identify as an only child.

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