Spouse or Partner

We All Have ‘That Ex.’ Mine Died.

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What it means to lose somebody who isn’t your somebody anymore.

Saving the Date for a Wedding That Will Never Take Place

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I was supposed to be married on November 9, but tragedy stopped this self-proclaimed ‘Bridezilla’ in her tracks.

Why I Told Anne Lamott My Husband Died

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I promised myself I wouldn’t, but then I opened up to a writer I’ve long admired about the most surreal, unbelievable thing that has ever happened to me.  

When My Husband Died, Facebook Became My Boyfriend

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Some people see social media as a trigger during times of great suffering. But after my husband died, it helped me stay afloat amid my grief.

Into the Unknown

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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.

What I Did With My Husband’s Life Insurance Money

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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.

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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.

The Bread I Still Can’t Bear To Bake

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Some people say grief is bitter, but I say it is nutty whole-wheat flavored, slightly sweet with molasses.

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.

John Duberstein Nina Riggs Lucy Kalanithi Modern Loss

My Guide to Finding Love After Loss

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A totally conventional and easily followed roadmap to emotional transition, by the widower of "The Bright Hour" author.

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.

What Triggers Me Isn’t What You Think It Is

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

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?

A Very Brady Christmas (But Way More Complicated)

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A newly engaged widow wants to know how to manage her bereaved in-laws' expectations this season. Our advice columnist weighs in.

Unpacking That Last Box — Once and For All

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After my boyfriend died, I clung to his things as a way to stay close to him. Eventually, I realized I didn’t need to.

I Forgot the Anniversary of My Mom’s Death

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

What Is ‘Sexual Bereavement’?

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We don't talk about it enough.

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.

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