Sibling Loss

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. 

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.

‘Was She Sick?’

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

Animal Husbandry for Dragons

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What if we try caring for our pain, instead of trying to control it?

On Teaching Writing Through Grief

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I teach others how to tell their saddest stories. But when it came to my own brother’s loss, the words wouldn’t come — until they did.

Having a Dead Sibling Is Full of Contradictions

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It’s been a decade since my brother died. His death has shaped me and it has confounded me — with its curses and blessings, too.

A Day in the Life of My Grief — Illustrated

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In which I wonder, 'How can all 19 Duggars be alive and I lost my only sister?'

His Sister Was Dying as We Were Falling in Love

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I learned of her illness shortly after our first date. Her absence remains a presence still.

My Brother’s Christmas-Themed Funeral

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Alan lived with a rare genetic disorder that made him unpredictable, child-like and full of wonder. When he died at age 43, his memorial service was unique as he was.

The Good China That Will Outlive Us All

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After my mom’s death and my sister’s suicide, the dishes they left behind are newly sentimental.

What I Still Can’t Do

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Ten months after my sister’s death, I can laugh and smile. I can sometimes care about other people’s problems. I can’t listen to voicemails or write thank you notes or stop waiting for the other shoe to drop.

ASK MODERN LOSS: Do My Kids Need a New Male Role Model?

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A single mom by choice asks our advice columnist what to do now that her brother and father are gone.

My Instagram Therapy

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With @textsforjohn, I can still walk through the world looking for things to share with my brother — even though he’s no longer here.

Bereavement Group Dropout

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Around a table full of widow-baked cookies, I absorbed the most profound of all death clichés, and I was done.

It’s Katie Fisher Day!

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Starting a cookie-baking social media memorial holiday would have been a strange move for anyone, but perhaps stranger for me than most.

Ilana and Aaron are celebrating 9 years of friendship on Facebook!

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Thing is, Aaron is dead.

The Stoic’s Guide to the Holidays

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An emotional clam wishes he could take his own advice for enduring the festivities with loss.

Life’s Too Short to Wear Beige

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I was a closeted gay woman surrounded by white-hued walls and yearning for my own colorful world. My sister's death changed everything.

The Best Things in My Life Came From My Brother’s Death

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The best things in my life really did come out of my brother's death.

Riding and Hiding in My Griefmobile

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No matter how intense my feelings, my car always comes to the rescue, with available music, clean tissues, and much-needed privacy.

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