My Loss

Death, Valentines and the YA Section

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When my best friend died, I was through with Valentine's Day (aka her birthday). I found solace in the library, surrounded by teen angst.

Luisa Street, One Year Later

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On a thoroughfare marked by personal tragedy, I find myself embracing possibility once again.

My Father, My Daughters

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My twins were just 18 months old when my father died. Desperate for my girls to know him, I talk about him constantly. But should I?

Wendy Davis’ Filibuster, My Life

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I was happily married and more than 20-weeks pregnant with a baby I wanted more than anything. So why was I sitting in a Dallas abortion clinic?

Philip Seymour Hoffman: A Man We All Knew (But Didn’t)

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In the wake of Philip Seymour Hoffman's demise, let's not make a sport out of dredging up the details of his final moments.

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.

A Case for Old-Fashioned Condolences

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Facebook is encouraging laziness in face of grief. Let’s turn the corner.

‘Girls’ on Grief

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When it comes to loss and the 20-something, the HBO hit gets it right, says our resident TV guru.

‘Are You Sitting Down?’

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It doesn’t really matter. There’s no good time or place or way to hear bad news.

Revolution to Reality

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Despite years of witnessing political violence, I had no personal experience with death — until Mom got sick, and I headed home to help her die.

If My Sister Were Alive…

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Here’s what we would watch, eat and laugh about. Here’s what I would apologize for, forgive her for, attempt to explain and keep to myself.

Year Two: It’s Not Over

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Everyone told me the first year after Mom’s death would be the hardest. But 12 months in, I wasn’t just mourning my mother. I was also mourning the fact that she hadn’t just died.

Mourning the Father I Never Knew

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My dad is dead. But when a friend loses a parent, I can’t honestly say that I understand what he’s going through. Here's why.

How the World Says Goodbye

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From a festive graveside picnic in Mexico to an elaborate gift-giving ceremony in India, check Modern Loss' interactive map featuring memorial rituals from around the world.

Fortune Teller

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My dead mother communicates with me through fortune cookies. Really, she does.

Must-See TV

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In the moments after my mother died, I recorded an episode of “Friends” — a decision that still confounds me a decade on.

Visiting Dad on Google Street View

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Before Dad died, Google cameras captured him — healthy and happy — tending his yard. For years after his death, I visited him frequently in cyberspace.

Feet, Pain, Love

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After my boyfriend succumbed to cystic fibrosis, I found relief in a grueling 500-mile pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago.

On New Year’s, Clawing My Way Back

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The year my partner drowned, I bought a supermarket lobster — and set it free.

Grief Is Forever (and That’s OK)

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At a fancy spa, I found myself missing my son and learning to embrace my eternal sadness.

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