Personal Essays

Widowed With Children

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My husband died when I was 7-months pregnant with my second child. A year on, I’m again looking for a mate — this time with an infant and a toddler in tow.

My ‘Recovery Cat’ Would Never Recover

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When Kali died, she took with her 16 years of secrets.

News of Dad’s Death, Spread on Facebook

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Thanks to social media, my father's death was old news by the time I found out about it.

A Word for My Loss

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The Supreme Court ruled in favor of same sex marriage on what would have been my 28th anniversary with my partner. Though we were never able to marry, I consider myself a widower.

Why Grandmothers Rock

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My grandmother died more than five years ago. But to this day when I need a pick-me-up, I channel the positive energy she put into her work, her beloved Phillies and me.

On the Road

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After my 6-year-old son died, I was determined to grieve on my own terms. So I sold all my belongings and set off on my bicycle.

The Night My Nightmare Came True

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I couldn't fathom my recurring childhood nightmare would come true. But I also couldn't imagine I'd emerge from its destruction.

Stilled and Beating Hearts

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Pregnant with our first child, I felt my baby's kicks grow stronger as our beloved feline's heart slowly failed.

My Roaring, Immature Twenties

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Untethered after my mother's death, I found myself suspended in adolescence as age 30 approached.

Babe in Prison-land

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Born to an incarcerated convict and taken from her as an infant, I mourned a mother I can't remember.

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?

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.

‘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.

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.

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