Personal Essays

Dad’s Dead. LOL?

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I used to joke that I wanted to die before my dad. The order didn't work out -- but I found I could still laugh.

La La Land Modern Loss

With the Swish of a Skirt, “La La Land” Triggered My Grief

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With the swish of a skirt, the musical suddenly triggered my grief.

Making My Dad A Searchable Term

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My dad died before the Internet. When I put his name out into the digital world, I couldn't have anticipated what would come back to me.

Gonzalez Modern Loss

In Mourning, with Broadway and Carne Guisada

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How musicals like "In the Heights" helped after losing my abuela.

Limperis Modern Loss

The Year After My Dad’s Death Was the Best of My Life

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Assuming I was promised a century, I never worried about throwing away a decade. Watching my father die changed that -- for the better.

The Widow's Yoga Tribe_Modern Loss

A Widow and her Galentines

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After my husband died, I stumbled about looking for my tribe. Counterintuitive to my nature, I found it in yoga class.

When Love Feels Too Risky

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I didn’t realize how my mom’s cancer death would affect my love life — until I met the man I wanted to marry.

Ilana and Aaron are celebrating 9 years of friendship on Facebook!

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Thing is, Aaron is dead.

Object Amnesia

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We always had too many of my late father’s iconic dress shirts — until the Smithsonian wanted one, and we realized we had none.

Maia drawings Modern Loss

Mentee, Interrupted

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Maia and I only spent a few minutes together. It was only after her death that I finally got to know her.

Sautéing My Way Through Grief

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When my best friend died in a car accident, I felt compelled to take up cooking. Here are three recipes that helped me through.

Dead in Real Life, Alive on Twitter

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How a post-mortem scrapbook project kept teaching me about my friend.

In Defense of Magic

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The winter holiday rituals have soothed our grieving souls. So has our son's belief in Santa.

I’m Done Hanging Stockings for Dead People

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For the past 7 years, holiday decorations reminded me only of who was missing. This year, I said ‘enough.’

Both Parents Are Gone. But I Miss Only One of Them.

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When I long to pick up the phone — and share my joys and my struggles — I only want to speak to Mom.

Trying to Get Pregnant After the Death of a Child

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After losing my six-year-old son, I was determined to give my youngest child another sibling.

Ned and I

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I'm 36. One of my best friends is 84. I try to live in the moment, knowing our relationship might be a fleeting one.

The Sitcom Widow

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Sizing myself up to DJ Tanner, Carol Brady and Nancy Botwin

When Grandma Got Mean, I Got Angry

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When my spirited grandmother declined, then died, I was as pissed off as I was utterly bereft.

I’m Not Okay with Being a Motherless Mother

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Turns out, I'm not ok with being a motherless mother.

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