Grief is a riddle. What is invisible to everyone else, but you can't escape? Grief. It is awkward to be a mourner disguised in normalcy. I think that maybe our culture shouldn't have discarded the tradition of wearing black during the first few months of mourning. I wouldn't have minded it because it would have made … Continue reading Speaking Honestly about Grief
Month: October 2014
A Story with a Different Ending
Jay and Katherine Wolf are on the other side of our story. In 2008 Katherine had a catastrophic brain stem stroke, very similar to John's, but she survived. She was 26 years old and the young mom of a 6 month old baby boy. Their story is heartbreaking and inspiring. Jay's commitment to love and Katherine's willingness … Continue reading A Story with a Different Ending
Living the Vows
They are the unwelcome words at a wedding. Those five words, “until death do us part." On a day of beginnings, when death and separation are furthest from our minds, those words barge in. Like in a fairytale, when a vengeful fairy crashes the royal wedding with a curse of doom. Entirely unwelcome. Yet, entirely … Continue reading Living the Vows
Grace & Grief Meet
Over the next few days, we pieced together what had happened to John. It was a beautiful spring afternoon, and he stopped by the university on his way home to go for a run. Security camera videos show him walking out of the gym into brilliant afternoon sunlight. Several people saw him on the jogging … Continue reading Grace & Grief Meet
The Day Life Changed
John had disappeared. For several hours we had been trying to retrace his steps. I knew something was very wrong because he left his downtown office late in the afternoon but never came home for dinner. It had been one of those teamwork nights for us: me at a meeting, him planning to come home from … Continue reading The Day Life Changed
