I was twelve years old. I was old enough to know what was happening. I have some clear memories of the events that transpired. It was awkward and I wasn’t sure how to take in everything around me. The events of that week were not like the day to day… Read More »Hidden Losses
As I scroll through the postings made by friends on Facebook, I see familiar kinds of postings — status updates, as they are called. One may comment about a parent’s death, another on the passing of a cousin, another on the anniversary of a loved one’s home-going. While people often… Read More »The Tapestry of Life and Death
Dear Mom: It’s been three years since I last spoke to you or was able to see you. That’s a bit difficult for me to comprehend. From my perspective, a day doesn’t pass without me thinking about you or talking to you in my mind. I know that’s just how… Read More »On Mother’s Day: A Letter to the Other Side
It was something he hadn’t experienced before. I was a bit surprised by that, but it’s probably not uncommon. He told me that at age 26, it was the first time he knew someone who had died. Of course, I know that my life was a bit unusual in this… Read More »Grief: Remembering Forever
After providing care for her in our home for five years, my mother passed from this life on May 19, 2012. On the first anniversary of her passing, I am aware that my journey of grief has passed through many different experiences, memories, and sensations. The feelings of sadness for… Read More »One Year Later
I sat at my desk one evening reviewing a mailing list. I compared it with addresses in my address book and rolodex. After about an hour or so of double-checking, I counted: since the previous Christmas, twenty-seven people to whom I sent cards last year were now dead. In all… Read More »Rediscovering Life: The Cycle of Grief