Spouse Loss

Our Double-Widowed ‘I Love You’

By

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’

By

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

What Triggers Me Isn’t What You Think It Is

By

Old photos and anniversaries don’t do me in the way one sitcom theme song does.

I Forgot the Anniversary of My Mom’s Death

By

But there's one deathiversary that I can never put behind me.

Meet the Widex

By

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

By

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.

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

By

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

Exercise in Avoidance

By

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.

The Pain of the Mundane

By

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

Close to the Clouds

By

My husband's ashes in tow, I summited the mountain we'd loved to bring him 'home'. I found my own solace there, amongst the trees and solid rock.

Tears and Tequila in Tinseltown

By

A novel imagines a safe haven for young widows and widowers in the City of Angels.

The Half Life of Love

By

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.

A Day for Lovers, Without Mine

By

On my first Valentine’s Day without Evelyn, I spent hours paging through old photographs. Those pictures speak to our love and her resolve, but they don’t tell the whole story.

Looking Up at El Capitan

By

Dying while doing what we love is how we’d all like to go out. But as I watched my friends risk everything for the thrill of the climb, I felt compelled to remind them of the difference between challenge and folly.

Merry — Not So Much

By

Our advice columnist weighs in on holiday shopping for the bereaved, what to do when Christmas parties are grief triggers and more.

Parenting After Loss

By

It can be hard to know if my children are reacting to their father's death — or if they're just acting their age.

Saying I Do, and Saying Farewell

By

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

Between Death and Goodbye

By

Before my wife's body was taken away — and her final organs harvested — I was able to spend a few precious moments with the woman I loved.

Gold Star Widow

By

At my first Memorial Day conference for military families, I found kindred spirits among the brokenhearted.

Forever ‘The Girls’

By

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.

1 2 3