The summer after my mother died, I went through her closet. I was 16 years old, and alongside my...
Category: Grief
After His Mother Died, Adam Smith Found The Secret in the Freezer
It's hard for Adam Smith, 37, to say whether Barbara had been a good mother. Growing up, he and...
For Those in Grief, Talking to a Dead Loved One Is Good for Mental Health
If you’ve ever found yourself having a conversation with someone you love who has passed away,...
In med school, a mission found me. But it will never be just a job — cancer and grief brought me to it
A young widow who lost her husband to cancer nearly drowned in grief and medical debt. Now Fumiko...
The Lingering of Loss
She’d found out she had leukemia right about when I started trying to get pregnant. Her cells...
The Fraught Culture of Online Mourning
My mother died shortly after 4 a.m. in the pitch black of a November morning. By roughly 8:30 a.m....
Showing your support after a friend experiences loss
How do you show that you care when a friend’s grieving the loss of a loved one? I share thoughtful ways to demonstrate support, regardless of distance and budget, from our community of current and former family caregivers.
My mother told me it would take 5 years to ‘get over’ her death. Here’s where I’m at a decade later.
The cruel irony of losing your mother is that right after her death is when you will need her the...
A Grief Casserole: How to help your friends & family through loss
Schutt spent four years as her mom’s primary caregiver, writing songs about the dark and the light...
What to say (and what not to say) to someone who’s grieving
Empathy Deficit Disorder (not a real condition, but maybe it should be) has reached epidemic...
The Surviving Spouse’s Guide to Surviving a Hallmark Holiday
This will be my second Valentine’s Day without Tim, my love of 12 years. Red jelly hearts cling to...
My dad and I both lost our spouses young. He’s helping me heal one breakfast at a time
When Marjorie's husband had a health scare, it was her father who looked it over and asked her the...
Facebook is terrible. But as I was grieving, it was a lifesaver.
My husband was pronounced dead at 10:12 am on February 4, 2017. At 7:08 pm, I shared the news on...
To Ease the Grief, I Play an Anthem
Whenever I hear Bing Crosby sing “Toora Loora Loora,” I feel a mix of grief and happiness. The...
I was my dad’s caregiver through his fatal illness. I had no idea I’d be at risk for PTSD.
I was 32 and living in Los Angeles when I became my father’s caregiver, following his diagnosis of...
Mari Andrew on grief
If you're on Instagram, you may have already discovered Mari Andrew. If not, she's an amazing...
Ask Olive: He Left Me Hanging When I Needed Someone the Most
So many caregivers have experienced what the letter writer asks about: we turn to our closest...
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Voicemails seemed so archaic. And then his mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. And then she was...
Your most valuable possession
The release of Disney Pixar’s The Incredibles 2 seemed a perfect time to revisit an important...
Moving on, with Claire Bidwell Smith
Why do so many of us feel guilty after the death of a loved one? A writer is overcome with guilt...
Alzheimer’s and the World’s Saddest Comedy Club
After his father dies of Alzheimer's, Chris Garcia and his fellow comedians accidentally formed...
Is this what acceptance feels like?
This morning I was drinking my coffee and I realized I felt...normal. It's been weeks since I've...
Fishhooks
You are forgetful sometimes, but living in purgatory, unremembering what happened five minutes...
My boyfriend died
A few months after we began dating, I found out he was sick. He didn’t look sick then, like he...