Personal Essays

He Told Me to Get On With My Life — and Now, I Have

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10 years after my husband's suicide and a slew of shockingly unexpected struggles, I am finally living in the here and now.

A Widowed Mother’s Day à la COVID-19

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In the midst of a global pandemic, this day might actually feel a bit more aligned with what I want it to be.

The Grief Cliché of the COVID Era

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My late brother would have been extremely susceptible to the virus that has upended our lives. But don’t tell me to be grateful that he’s gone. 

Surviving the Agony of Anticipation

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As I see the world sink into the abyss amid the coronavirus pandemic, I recall the first days after my daughter Talia’s terminal diagnosis.

What Siblings Day Means to Someone with a Dead Sister

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This didn't actually begin as an Instagram holiday, you know.

A Rabbi’s Reluctant Lesson in Grief

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I paid a painful price to become a better leader for my congregation.

I Lost My Racial Identity When My Mother Died

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Grieving as a mixed race person made me confront my imposter syndrome.

The Gifts of ‘Grief Brain’

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Even as life propelled me forward, I was no longer the same person I had been before Rob’s death. More specifically: My thinking had changed.

His Beautiful Death

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As my love lay dying beside me, I transformed our cold hospital room into a sacred space.

My Boyfriend Died — and There’s No Word for My Loss

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He was the man I had hoped to marry, but others see our relationship in more ambiguous terms.

GRIEF BACON: That Time I Smelled Like Booze and Old Cake

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After my husband's sudden death, I ate, drank and sobbed my way through entirely unstable territory.

Processing My Friend’s Death in the Sound Studio

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My podcast helped me work through who I am - and who I want to be - when I was questioning everything.

12 Ways I Needed Support After My Baby Died

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Society needs to do better with sharing the burden carried by bereaved parents. Here's how.

Dressing the Dead

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My mother-in-law and I were not close, but when she died I was tasked with this surprisingly intimate choice.

‘Was She Sick?’

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Depression killed my innately joyful sister. When people ask how she died, this is how I respond.

How My Dying Mom and I Learned to Meditate

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Ironically, a practice we'd always joked about brought us even closer together.

My Therapist Is No Longer a Phone Call Away

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She counseled me through my young husband's death, through raising children, blending families, and so much more. Now she's gone.

Losing My ‘Naming Rights’

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A cousin named her daughter after my mom before I could.

My Father’s Death Changed the Way I Think About Time

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I was always running minutes, even hours, behind. Not anymore.

‘At Least You’re Not Having Twins’

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As a mother of twins, responses to my latest pregnancy announcement are all over the map. But amid a private loss, one remark cuts to the bone.

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