Anyone who knows me knows I've been an animal lover since birth. I grew up in a house with eight cats, a couple of dogs, tons of fish, turtles rescued from the road, and many rodents. There are countless photos of me as a child holding a furry friend up to the camera, playing with... Continue Reading →
Shitty Anniversary, duh.
A couple of days ago, one of the many grief-y Instagram accounts I follow posted: “Death anniversary. The shittiest of all anniversaries.” And I went, “well, duh.” Seeing on it the day before the 15th anniversary of my brother David's death, I was especially unimpressed with its lack of profundity. But it offered an important... Continue Reading →
Congratulations! I’m sorry.
Sometimes it feels like everything that ever happened to me has compounded. As if the addition of all my life's wins and losses doesn't balance out; instead, it is more than its sum. And that this journey is one gigantic emotional roller coaster of highs and low. Grief can loom larger, and more dramatically. There... Continue Reading →
Dog Person
“It's hard to imagine Anne without Trixie,” my friend Karen said on Friday when I had to say goodbye to my beloved 15-year-old dog. It's hard for me to imagine me without Trixie either, because we were so connected, nearly inseparable, for the past 14 years. I feel a kind of naked I've never known... Continue Reading →
What makes this year unforgettable?
After thinking about a short piece for a long time, which I envisioned being called “10 Things 10 Years After Your Brother Dies,” over the summer I finally wrote it and Modern Loss — a platform I appreciate so much — published it. I loved working with Gabi Birkner, a compassionate, smart, and intuitive editor... Continue Reading →
