People Don’t Die Anymore — They Pass
People don’t die anymore — they “pass.” Otherwise sophisticated, hard-headed people are resorting to euphemisms when the subject is death. Read more.
Widowed: John Donne, Meet Leonard Cohen — And Send Us a Song, Please, From the Mystery Beyond
I’ve spent evenings with songwriter Leonard Cohen and gone to bed with poet John Donne. I want to say, ‘John Donne, meet Leonard Cohen.’ Read more.
May Your Days Be Merry!
On my Christmas card this year, “May your days be merry,” is code for — may your days be filled with hope and faith. Read more.
Widowed: I Got Caught in the Act of Crying for My Husband
I came home to what I thought was an empty house but, widowed, I got caught in the act of crying for my husband. Noisily. Read more.
Widowed: ‘Let Us Tend Our Garden’
Translating Voltaire for my backyard: “We must cultivate our garden,” feels bossy and rife with certitude. I prefer, “Let us tend our garden.” Read more.
How to Describe My Late Husband? I Can’t Find the Words
How to describe my late husband? I can tell the Jon stories, but when it comes to evoking the singularity that was Jon, words fail. Read more.
I’m Thanking People a Lot These Days. Why Is That?
I notice that I’ve been thanking people a lot lately. People — not God, not the Universe, not “the force that through the green fuse drives the flower.” Read more.
My Deceased Husband’s Laptop — I Fixed It Myself!
My deceased husband’s laptop had become my favorite, fun laptop in the months following his death. But now I couldn’t open it. Read more.
Does Nature Even Know We’re Here?
Does nature even know we’re here? Is nature benevolent? Cruel? Or indifferent? I used to think it was benign. Now I’m not so sure. Read more.
My Deceased Husband’s Voice — Coming at Me From the Stars
My deceased husband’s voice came at me the other day — from across the years, all the way from 1988 and a summer’s night under the stars. Read more.