In this meandering medicine story, I share about my mama’s unexpected death in 2015, the unbelievable coincidence of losing my father-in-law the same way 5 years later, the amazing thing my stepdad did at her memorial service, the worst and best things to say to someone who’s lost a loved one, the final gift she gave me after her death, and always remembering that our grief is equal to our love.

I love you Mama. I miss you every day. God only knows what I’d be without you. It’s all for you.

LINKS:

• Pictures & a video of my mom

• Megan Devine’s work at Refuge in Grief

• Joanna Newsom’s song Time, as a Symptom

• Brene Brown on Overfunctioning in times of stress