Death is the one thing that connects us all, and yet, it is one area in which we are least prepared. Sometimes, spending a day in a car with someone you’ve never met can not only change how you think about death, but also change how you live your life. Years ago, I was driving to another city […]
I want my daughter to see aging as the expansive process it can be. I want her to remain curious about, and not just terrified of, what’s inevitable about being alive: It is all temporary. I was present for my maternal grandmother’s death. It happened while she was in hospice care at my mother’s home, […]
All these years after my father’s death, I’m still trying to figure out the nuances of the relationship I had with him, and what made him tick. It’s been six years since my father died. When he got sick with pneumonia in March 2009, we thought he would bounce back, even though the changes in […]
I’m a strong, independent, outspoken woman today because of—and despite—the lessons I learned from my old-fashioned father. I’m 34 years old and no one has ever just walked up to me and said “Hey, did you go visit your dad on Father’s day?” until June 16, the day after Father’s day this year. I was at […]
This originally appeared on Overland.org. Republished here with permission. The process of dying isn’t always about the patient, it’s about their loved ones. Nine months ago my mom asked me to buy an axe and chop her head off. I joked with her. Told her it would be a messy way to go. She was […]
