Category: 02 – Through the Window – reflections on loss and grief

My greatest 2020 loss was my cousin Tanja, who succumbed to a rare cancer – ocular melanoma – in May, at age 64. We grew up together from birth. She was a wise, beautiful woman inside and out, incredibly optimistic. She defied the early prognosis by surviving a full 5 years from the metastasis to… Continue reading teresa p.

My dad died a week ago today – February 23, 2021. Had he passed any sooner, we would not have been able to be with him. As it was, only two at a time in the room. My aunt (his sister) and my children never got to say goodbye. The nurses mercifully looked the other way… Continue reading nina s.

I lost a career mentor this year, Len Hawley. The world lost him. Cancer. I had no idea he was sick until too late. He held very high-ranking government positions but always made me feel important, smart, reminding me just with the way he’d clap me on the back at think tank events and asking… Continue reading sasha k.

My baby boy died during COVID-19.  Patches was my 24 ½-year-old baby boy – a 98 gram feathered boy. I call him my baby boy – he was my child.  He was my service animal.  He was my day.  He was my night.  He was absolutely everything to me.  I told my parents – what… Continue reading bonnie r.

In April of last year my stepson died from a drug overdose. Right in the middle of the pandemic. At that time, the state of Texas had a rule about no gatherings of over ten people. No one was having funerals. My stepson’s mother, my husband’s ex-wife, was in charge. She wouldn’t listen to reason… Continue reading anonymous

I lost my wife at the end of July and my son in the beginning of November. My wife’s birthday was Feb 26th and my son’s was Feb 27th. She would have been 70, he 35. I don’t have words. 💔

We’ve all intersected with grief this year, whether it’s been due to the collective loss of lives, of people we know closely, people we’ve admired from afar, or friends and relatives of people we know. We’ve grieved our daily routines, our many impromptu adventures and meetings, or just the space to do everything or nothing.… Continue reading sara s.

My friend Heather and I lost our AMAZING high school choir / music teacher. She was as much a nurturer as a brilliant conveyer of musical skills. She changed lives with every project she put forth – from musicals to jazz competitions. I loved her as a teacher – but, moreover, with the advent of… Continue reading tim r.

In the fall, my dear friend Martha Bixler died. Not sure of the cause – it was not COVID. I had known her since 1962. I think I met her when I was turning pages for a harpsichordist who was playing for a small group that Martha was also in. I was probably the worst… Continue reading kitty s.

Since I was diagnosed with breast cancer and had my related existential crisis in 2019, I was still processing my grief and experiencing post-traumatic growth when the pandemic hit. So it was interesting to stand by and watch the rest of the world take the red pill and slowly wake up to their mortality a… Continue reading laura r.