This probably reads to you like how my 10th-grade yearbook inscriptions read to me. A list of scrawled inside jokes that have no meaning. These are my dead sister triggers. They're contained in an invisible balloon that follows me wherever I go - whether I'm scrolling through Instagram and see a photo...

Helpful facts: My older sister, Alison, died unexpectedly on August 9, 2017. On the morning of August 10th, I sent an email and made a social media post about her death.  What follows are some examples of the types of responses I received (and what I was thinking when I read...

On a whim, I signed up for a grief retreat hosted by Modern Loss. I didn’t think much about it at the time, I just knew that I loved Modern Loss (because of their book, website, Facebook group, and Mother’s/Father’s Day gift swaps). I figured it would worthwhile, but I didn't really...

The anniversaries of my sister’s (8/9/17) and father’s (2/6/04) deaths are the two most impactful days of my life. It’s customary to check in with someone when it comes to celebratory remembrances (Birthdays! Holidays! Hooray to happy times!) but not so much on less festive occasions. A lot of folks...

Grief is complicated and difficult. To be a family member or friend of someone who lost their life by suicide adds an additional level of complexity. Much of this is due to the stigma of suicide. I dedicate this post to those trying to survive after a loss by suicide...

The miscommunication of grief is kind of like this hug between my nephew and my daughter. Good, heartfelt intentions, but an uncomfortable and painful experience.    What you say and mean is not always what I hear:   But even if I don't hear your intentions, thank you for trying. It...

 Updated: January 24, 2019 ~ Recommendations can be found halfway down the page. When you are recently diagnosed or bereaved, people are frantic to help you solve your problem. This is well-intentioned but can often be annoying. Especially when advice comes from the 'Solutions People.' When my mother-in-law’s breast cancer returned...

  Earlier this summer I posted on Instagram  that it was my dad’s birthday. I honestly haven’t been thinking a lot about my dad - my head and heart are too wrapped up in the loss of my sister. Right now, I’m not a great model for managing multiple losses, as...

I constantly think about what was happening at this time last year.  There are big moments - like in November I remembered that at that time the year before my sister finished her chemo. Christmas was the anniversary of her hair starting to grow in and she stopped covering her...