Loss

May 19, 2016
Forget About Closure: A New Way to Look at Grief

Forget About Closure: A New Way to Look at Grief

The word “closure” is a tricky and usually misused word. Taken from it’s Latin root “clausura,” literally meaning “to close,” the word is often used to signify what […]
June 25, 2015
After They Die: Sorting Through Their “Stuff”

After They Die: Sorting Through Their “Stuff”

Getting rid of someone’s stuff after they die is tough. It is an admission. For some people, it is the ultimate act of reconciling the permanence […]
March 25, 2015
There was Glitter in Her Hair When Grandma Died: The Construction of a Death Story

There was Glitter in Her Hair When Grandma Died: The Construction of a Death Story

I was speeding by cars on the freeway driving like a maniac; my mom needed me at the hospital. My grandma had just been admitted, maybe […]
February 12, 2015
Grieving Non-Death Losses

Grieving Non-Death Losses

Last year I attended a conference where the topic of a panel was the significance of grief connected to non-death losses. The researchers focused their sites […]
September 2, 2014
When Our Heroes Die: Grieving On-Screen Strangers

When Our Heroes Die: Grieving On-Screen Strangers

It has been a terrible year. I have a background in theatre and I tended to compete with the actors I saw on stage or screen, […]
July 16, 2014
Meaning-Making: The 3 Acts That Give Purpose to Pain

Meaning-Making: The 3 Acts That Give Purpose to Pain

I recently saw an instagram post that wasn’t a weird selfie or amazing plate of food, but was in fact, something far more sad. It was […]
April 16, 2014
Stubborn Love | The Power of Lyrics

Stubborn Love | The Power of Lyrics

“Its better to feel pain, than nothing at all. The opposite of love is indifference.” It was around 10:30 on a Wednesday night, and there I […]
February 11, 2014
A Tale of Two Grandmas: Alone & Loneliness

A Tale of Two Grandmas: Alone & Loneliness

My grandmas lost their husbands within 6 months of each other. One of them had, in her lifetime, sailed across the Pacific Ocean taking 4 years […]
November 20, 2013
We all have dates that changed our lives. This is mine.

We all have dates that changed our lives. This is mine.

August 2, 2000 – We all have dates that changed our lives. This is mine. My mother, brother, and I were pulling in the driveway from […]