Husband Loss

My Wedding Gown’s Last Dance

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In an excerpt from the new Modern Loss book, Lucy Kalanithi, the widow of "When Breath Becomes Air" memoirist Paul Kalanithi, describes leaving her bridal gown behind — in the most unconventional of settings.

Our Double-Widowed ‘I Love You’

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Goodbye used to mean until later that day. But for my fiancé and me, respective tragedies have rewired our brains.

‘Holy Shit, I’m Single Again’

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When the fog of my grief lifted and I began to think about dating, my old insecurities returned in a big way.

Our Christmas Décor Became a Metaphor for My Grief

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What is the protocol for embroidering a Christmas story that stops abruptly in the second chapter?

My Father Is My Grief Mentor

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Dad raised me on his own after Mom died. So when I, too, lost my spouse young, he showed me how to find happiness again.

Meet the Widex

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Eight years after we divorced, my sons’ father was dead — and I went from the ex to something more complicated.

That Would Have Been a Great Story

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My high school boyfriend and I lost our respective spouses just months apart — and reconnected over our grief. I would like to be able to say that we fell back in love and lived happily ever after. Something else unfolded.

‘Daddy, Daddy, Where Are You?’

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After 9/11 my son asked for his father dozens of times a day, everyday — for nine years.

Yes, You Should Binge-Watch Netflix Alone on Mother’s Day

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Cut yourself a break on Mother's Day — with or without a dead partner.

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.

Fiction: I Am the Widow

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Modern Loss' first foray into fiction is from a new book of short stories from the trenches of young widowhood.

He’s Dead, But He’s No Saint

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My husband cheated on me again and again — but people give him a pass because he died in a tragic Thanksgiving Day scuba accident.

The Pain of the Mundane

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A young widow has some advice for going back to work ... and facing 4 other toughies after losing a spouse.

Mourning Option A

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Thirty days after her husband's sudden death, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg shares a transparent portrait of grief -- and her determination to make the best of what's next.

What I Thought About When I Heard About Sheryl Sandberg’s Loss

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The Facebook exec befriended me four years ago. Her husband's sudden death had me considering my friend's broken heart — and my own damaged one.

Store Credit

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In the aftermath of my husband's death, my friends bought me potted plants. I promptly returned them — unable to contemplate caring for another living thing. Fourteen years on, what would it mean to use my credit at the florist?

The Half Life of Love

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Our first real date was on Valentine’s Day 10 years ago. Many times in the five years since my partner died, I’ve flashed back to that day when we became, officially, more than just friends.

Saying I Do, and Saying Farewell

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Eleven days after marrying the love of my life, I stared at his lifeless body and said goodbye.

Forever ‘The Girls’

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After my husband died, my best girlfriends didn’t know what to say to me. But their presence that Memorial Day was more important than their words.

Mayday on a May Day

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Approaching the fourth anniversary of my husband’s death, my one constant was not knowing exactly how I’d get through it.

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