Father Loss

21 Things You Probably Don’t Know About My Dead Dad

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No. 9: If he loved you, he'd write you an insanely clever poem for every birthday, milestone or minor holiday.

20 Things You Probably Don’t Know About My Dead Dad

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He never met my children, but they will know him through the photos, scrapbooks and stories of those who knew and loved him best. Through me.

Modern Loss Fathers Day

A Father’s Day Sale for the Recently Deceased Dad

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I keep getting emails from Bed Bath & Beyond reminding me that “It’s Not Too Late To Find the Perfect Father’s Day Gift!” But in this case, it kind of is.

Why I’m Jealous of Grieving People

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Dad died when I was 6, and life went on seemingly undeterred. All these years later, I find myself envious of those who have the chance to mourn.

Modern Loss Going Home

Going Home

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After my dad's death, now it just feels like a house.

Love, Dad

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On my 8th fatherless Father's Day, my dad found a way to send me a handwritten message from the grave.

Had I Sealed My Father’s Fate?

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I'm a novelist and killed off the father character early in my first book. When my dad died unexpectedly soon after, I was wracked with guilt.

Why I Like Funerals More Than Weddings

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"Four Weddings and a Funeral"? I'd rather watch "Four Funerals and a Wedding."

Dad’s Voice in the ‘Tower of Song’

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The last time I spoke to my father, the subject was, of all things, Leonard Cohen — the musician my dad believed brought 'punctuation to experience.'

Exercise in Avoidance

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The walk home from school was long — like four-hours long the way we did it. But it kept us out of an apartment full of grief triggers.

Closure Is a Unicorn

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My father and I struggled to understand each other. His death was what made me realize I can both love him and being angry with him.

Will I Still Be Funny?

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My family thrived on potty humor, but after my dad died I wondered if we'd ever again laugh with abandon.

When Self Care Looks Like Paying The Cable Bill

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"My father-in-law suddenly died. How do I take care of them, and myself, while working full-time?" Meg's case for the little things.

Chicken Chow Found

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I've spent years attempting to rebuild my dad's favorite recipe. And with a simple wok, I've connected our family with him anew.

This Side of Paradise

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Hawaiian cemetery picnics have long been a family tradition, but one I have resisted since my father died.

David Carr’s ‘Lasting Totem’

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The writer David Carr thought of me like a son. When he died, he left me with a trove of fatherly wisdom, courtesy of Gmail.

Are You My Papi?

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As a young man, I lost my father to AIDS-related illness. Now I search for echoes of him in the men I choose to love.

My Dad, Forever a Stranger

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For 16 years I had no relationship with my father, a devoted Scientologist. When he died, I realized just how little I knew about him — and he about me.

My Two Dads

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When a motorcycle accident turned my father into a man we — and he — no longer recognized, I contemplated helping him die.

Hard Time

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Uncle Billy, the father figure in my life, came back from prison broken and distant. And before long, he was dead — leaving me to wrestle with his complicated legacy.

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