Personal Essays

The Show Must Go On

By and

My mom’s life went dark after cancer won out. But it didn’t mean my beloved theater-going had to as well.

Mother Loss and My Lyft Driver

By and

I had a five star ride -- but not for the reasons I'd expected.

It’s Hard To Rattle the Dead, But I’m Trying

By

Aunt Sherrie died by suicide, leaving me her best leather boots and a Barbie collection for the ages. If only she could see those things now.

Saying No to the Fourth

By

After my mother died July 4th weekend, I tried to keep celebrating the holiday with cookouts and fireworks — until I found a better way.

The World Cup My Mom Didn’t Live To See

By

My late mother was an avid fan of the Peruvian national soccer team. This year “la Blanquirroja” is playing in its first World Cup in more than three decades. As I cheer them on, it’s impossible not to feel sadness and longing.

My Dad Was Dying While I Was Divorcing

By

I vowed never to speak with my ex-husband again. Then my father was diagnosed with leukemia.

On Father’s Day, Grief Tastes Like Berry Cobbler

By

When Dad was here, we made olallieberry jam on Father’s Day. Now that he’s gone, our sweet tradition has evolved. 

The Big Question and the Perfect Answer

By

It isn't easy asking a dying person what they believe comes next. But my philosopher dad knew just what to say.

Into the Unknown

By

My dead fiancé loved Anthony Bourdain. When I heard the beloved chef and TV personality had died, I imagined the two of them, finally, breaking bread.

A Fitting Farewell in Atlantic City

By

Here’s how we said goodbye to my clever, caustic, complicated mother.

Dad-Die Issues

By

Death brings up so many feelings and conversations. Plans to be made. Legacies to cement. I had none of that.

Time Machine in a Timepiece

By

In telling me he wanted me to have his beloved watch, Dad was also letting me know his days were numbered.

Writing With Heart From Behind Bars

By

I teach memoir writing at a prison. One week, the topic was loss. My students really went there — and so did I.

After a Teenager’s Death, Metaphors Fail

By

My friend's 16-year-old daughter was hit by a car and I struggled to write about it. Because no words can truly encapsulate the zero of grief.

Purple Rain on Father’s Day

By

My dad and the rock star Prince had everything and nothing in common. This is the time of year I feel their absence most acutely.

What This Mother Told Her Dying Son

By

Her words were perfect.

Sewing - Modern Loss

The Sewing Blogs Were My Salvation

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After my baby died, I didn’t know what to do with my hands. But then I found the sewing blogs.

My Mother’s Day Trifecta

By

I lost my mom, my stepmom, and my dream of mothering a child of my own. On Mother’s Day, people say the darndest things to me.

What I Did With My Husband’s Life Insurance Money

By

During the rawest moments of my grief, what I bought helped me breathe easier.

The Autopsy Report Should Have Been Anticlimactic. It Was Anything But.

By

My beloved husband died, leaving me with three children and another on the way. But it was a letter from the coroner’s office that did me in.

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