Personal Essays

Dear Noah Kahan, ‘Godlight’ Helped Me Survive Perinatal Loss

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Thank you for the lyrics that somehow understood my soul and this seemingly impossible grief journey.

Writing the Story My Mother Never Got to Tell

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Long after her death, I used the tools of journalism to reckon with memory, regret, and love.

House with darkened windows and two lighted rooms

My Landlord Died From Cancer While We Sheltered In Place Together

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What it felt like to watch her slow, surreal demise during a slow, surreal moment in the world.

Grief Is My Neurodivergence

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I had trouble relating to my son's ADHD – until my muddled mind schooled me after his sudden death.

sound waves

Chemo Stole My Dad’s Hearing. Then, My Daughter Heard Her First Sound.

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Our family's circular journey through cochlear implants, loss, and good vibrations.

A group of three sad emoji faces

It’s Okay to Not Be Okay After a Stressful Political Outcome

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I'm struggling to keep bleak thoughts at bay after the U.S. election. But grieving now is the best gift we can give to ourselves and our communities.

Megaphone shouting "Four More Years!"

Kids Who Die – and Their Families – Deserved a Second Term

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A longer, healthier, carefree life is something most of us take for granted, but one that many parents can’t fathom.

Blurred image of a pregnant belly

Time Moves Differently When You’re Pregnant and Your Toddler is Dying

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As a healthy baby grew inside me, my focus was on actively mothering my dying daughter.

The Second Burial

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After my dad's sudden death, I had to delete his digital omnipresence over, and over, and over again.

A Trauma Therapist’s 3-Part Holiday Grief Plan

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Advice on dealing with All The Feelings during a complicated season.

Is There Sex After Death?

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Burying your two children shrivels your dick up like a motherf*cker, but my wife and I found our way back to each other.

When ‘Fine’ Is Anything But

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After my father's death, my journey from calm, to hysterical, to something even worse.

After My Husband’s Death, I Found Myself Again through Mr. Mister and Mexico

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The cathartic power of briefly shedding the label of 'grieving widow with young kids' and briefly feeling free

I Met My Fiancé in a Modern Loss Support Group

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When I logged onto Zoom to lead a session on friendship, my true love was waiting in the grid.

Mi luto en azul

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Tras la muerte de mi mamá, encontré un nuevo significado en mi color favorito de siempre.

Grieving in Blue

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After my mom died, I discovered a world of new meaning in my favorite color.

‘You Are Only as Good as the People You Surround Yourself With’

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I was desperate to be wild in grief and my coke-snorting bestie was my ticket to fun.

Att vara äldre än min pappa

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Jag har aldrig slutat att gråta för allt han har gått misste om. Men när jag passerade åldern då han dog, ändrades något.

A Sacred, Unlikely Friendship, Maintained Through Terrifying Times

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At 87, my friend Ned narrowly escaped Covid-19's invasion of his nursing home. Here's what it made me realize.

What It Feels Like to Be Older Than My Father

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I've never stopped crying for all that he has missed. But as I passed the age at which he died, something changed.

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