Personal Essays

A Case for Old-Fashioned Condolences

By

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

‘Are You Sitting Down?’

By

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

Revolution to Reality

By

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…

By

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

By

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.

Fortune Teller

By

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

Visiting Dad on Google Street View

By

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

By

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

By

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

Grief Is Forever (and That’s OK)

By

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

Guilt: My Constant Companion

By

After my father died of ALS, my grief has come in waves; my guilt, however, never seems to subside.

Putting the Satan Back in Christmas

By

The holiday season may bring up all kinds of memories when you’re grieving. But what if your loved one was more Scrooge than Santa?

The Yoga Dialogues

By

After a close friend's sudden death, even a yoga teacher has trouble quieting her mind.

Call of the Riled

By

Devastating news has twice come in the form of a call. Now whenever the phone rings, I fear the worst.

Deleting My Mother

By

When Gmail kept prompting me to email my dead mother, drastic action was necessary.

On Thanksgiving, Longing to Go Home Again

By

For years, I swore off Thanksgiving. Then my mom died, and I found myself longing to go home again.

Mourning Tina, the Nanny Who Raised Me

By

When strangers ask me if my necklace is a family heirloom, the answer is not so easy as yes or no.

The Reverse Midas Touch

By

After losing my father, two aunts and stepfather in quick succession, I became convinced I was cursed.

5 Things That Help Me Cope

By

Facing a lifetime of missing my child, here's what gets me through — and lifts me up.

My Dead Husband, the Serial Adulterer

By

My loss was complicated by news that the man I loved had cheated.

1 … 19 20 21 22