died
This as-told-to-essay is based on a conversation with Alex Delaney, 41, who is based in Chicago. It has been edited for length and clarity.After my husband died suddenly at the age of 39, both my body and mind remained in a state of shock for years to come.It happened in…
As the first Christmas after my son William’s death approached, I couldn’t bear the thought of putting up a Christmas tree. I couldn’t imagine displaying all the nutcrackers we had collected together. I couldn’t walk into our usual family gathering pretending to be OK. I was petrified of being watched,…
Walking by the holiday decorations, I see the lights. It’s hard to miss them since they’re everywhere — blinking from plastic trees and dangling from the ceiling. It’s undoubtedly a well-lit wonderland, but I don’t stop to look. That is, I can’t stop.The colored lights are an instant reminder of…
Most of my weekday mornings follow the same script. I pull into the drop-off line outside of my twins’ elementary school, double-check their backpacks and take a sip of my coffee from my bright pink Yeti cup before it cools. But on a rainy November morning, sitting in the slow-moving…
When an email from my dad with the subject line “Estate Info” popped into my mailbox, I cringed.My parents have been transparent about their estate planning for a long time — perhaps partially because when I was in my 20s, my younger brother died unexpectedly, and I became their only…
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jacqueline Gathers, owner of JS Gathers Pillar to Post Home Inspectors franchise. It has been edited for length and clarity.I’m a third-generation civil servant. I spent 30 years at the New York City Housing Authority. I enjoyed the work and felt…
I wish I could say my husband and I were young and foolish, but we weren’t that young. We just never considered writing wills.Who needs those? Grandparents. People in their 80s whose adult children are going to argue over who gets the favorite painting or the glassware. We had one…
When my uncle died suddenly after 35 years of marriage, the loss was earth-shattering. My aunt and uncle had one of those rare, lifelong love stories: they met, fell in love instantly, and were engaged within six weeks. They created a life together in the Seattle area and eventually built…
