A reflection acknowledging that the injustice of suffering can't be wrapped up in a neat bow of closure. Instead, we the author looks to her culture’s understanding of ancestry — in the responsibility we have to the loved ones we’ve lost.
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A tender, empathetic, and honest letter to an unknown friend about the anguish of grief — through a story of young love, the loss of a child, and the realization that pain marks an opening to a future where new life can take root.
A woman's evolving understanding of mortality, identity, and letting go — through a poem that has accompanied her through life and loss.
Witnessing the faint smile of her dying mother, the daughter of Haitian-Creole parents reflects on why she's been writing about death and grief ever since — and the cathartic edge of the Book of Revelation and C.S. Lewis.
Some emotional wounds need closure to heal, but there are times when the best way forward is to let go. Courtney Martin on mending our deepest relationships by embracing the paradox of love and imperfection.
In the waiting room of a doctor's office, the dramas of life and death play out quietly. A reflection on the power of paying attention to the stranger, and to the burdens we all carry.
When a young, Evangelical Christian is diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, it's the music legend David Bowie who provides him with salvation and a renewed hope in "the Church of Man."
What if we acknowledged racism as a disease, and treated it accordingly? A cancer survivor asks and ponders the lessons she's learned from battling the illness as she watches recent events at the University of Missouri unfold.
The journey through cancer is one of hard-earned lessons about everyday living. Mark Nepo shares a dream about a rickety bridge and his insights into the unknown other — and how we might allow the stranger to inhabit our lives and the unexpected wholeness it brings.
The stories of a person, a family, a culture, a country hold and bind us in ways that are potentially fruitful or harmful. They also give us an identity. A meditation on who we are, how we become, and the stories we tell ourselves along the way.
Pediatric oncologists and parents alike are searching for someone to help them bear the suffering they must witness. An essay reflecting on doctors, Dante, and treating children with cancer.
The Magic Hedge is an oasis on the outskirts of Chicago renowned for its excellent birdwatching. With the hopes of sighting of a rare bird, two friends venture forth to encounter small miracles, the warmth of unexpected community, and the blessings of stillness.
Everyone suffers, silently or obviously, one way or the other. Once you see that connection, tenderness follows. A cancer survivor's meditation on gratitude and the marvel that is being alive.
The highly acclaimed and beloved poet Mary Oliver reads her four-part poem, "The Fourth Sign of the Zodiac," — a poem in which she explores death, purpose, and the call to live after being diagnosed with lung cancer several years ago.
We rarely know the pain and suffering that envelops the people closest to us. In this loving tribute, the poetic structure of an Auden poem serves as a frame to remember a neighbor who loved dogs but couldn't hang onto life.
A brother contemplates the loss of his sister to cancer, the place where she searched for home, and the stories that rise up within him.
A daughter reflects on her ailing father and her right to petition God to deliver a World Series victory for their team.
After being diagnosed with cancer, Becky Sennett tells an unlikely story of gratitude — for a reprimanding encounter with a pulmonologist who takes her to task, a compassionate gesture for which she'll be forever grateful.
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