In my hometown, there happen to be two funeral homes. The name of the town doesn’t matter because it’s the same everywhere. We all find common ground in the ultimate unifier: funerals. Or more precisely, funeral homes.

2020 March, Our Minds, Our FamiliesJena DunhamMarch 22, 2020Jena Dunham, essays, featuresComment

Books about death that are worth the read

So, tough stuff, right? Death isn’t exactly a fun topic for a little light reading. But we suspect you’ve had to deal with a death at some stage or another — whether it’s in your direct family or social circle. These reads will help you process the feels or take a little break from the grim.

Our Weekends, 2020 MarchConversationalMarch 22, 2020Conversational contributors, OpinionsComment

Woman to Woman: We're turning into our dead mothers

These two editors are turning into their mothers — and they’re loving every minute of it.

2020 March, Our FamiliesConversationalMarch 22, 2020Conversational contributors, Erin Ellison, Katy Wise Greer, essays, ColumnsComment

You don’t have to wear black to a funeral.

On any given day, we should wear whatever the hell makes us feel the most like ourselves. But, there are just a handful of occasions where some extra thought should go into what we put on and those are weddings, job interviews, and funerals.

2020 March, Our Minds, Our CareersMeredith StoneMarch 22, 2020Meredith Stone, FeaturesComment

Review: Women Rowing North: Navigating Life’s Currents and Flourishing as We Age

Mary Pipher’s Women Rowing North can easily be assumed of interest to only those in the 55 and up age range — those finding themselves navigating the “last stretch of the river” rather than just launching the boat onto the water. Nothing could be further from the truth. This book is brimming with significant insights for women of all ages.

2020 March, Our Weekends, Our MindsRobin HarrisMarch 22, 2020Robin Harris, ReviewsComment

How do you talk about death with your loved ones?

Have you ever lost someone close to you? Me too. My life has been touched by all types of dying. And, you know what? Nothing in life prepares you for death. Interesting since it’s the only certainty. Is this because we don’t talk about death while we still can?

2020 March, Our Bodies, Our Minds, Our FamiliesKyle BowerMarch 15, 2020Kyle Bower, FeaturesComment

Making peace with my ghosts

When I was a kid, I used to play in a former graveyard. Back then, I thought the forest behind my neighbor’s house, with its mini ditches and adjacent mounds, was the perfect place for hide and seek with my friends.

2020 March, Our Weekends, Our FamiliesJeanie DizonMarch 15, 2020Jeanie Dizon, essaysComment

A boy and his best friend — and mine

I said goodbye to Skyy in 2017, not long after her 14th birthday. Since that day, Jack often talks about her. Jack is on the autism spectrum. Why is that important to know? Because he is so wonderfully blunt every single time that he talks about Skyy.

2020 March, Our FamiliesAngela HowerterMarch 15, 2020Angela Howerter, EssaysComment

Don’t tell lies about me when I die.

I think I’m going to die young. Please hear me: I don’t want to meet an early demise… I just think I probably will. We can blame it on the casual nihilism of certain sects of country folk, or all the rock music I’ve delighted in through the years, or the fact that few people in my family have made it out of their fifties alive.

I gave my mom a kidney. Here are 7 things you need to know about donation.

’m really not the crusading type. Honestly, I don’t have the time or energy to pick up a righteous cause, after all the full-time working and momming and volunteering and writing is done. But, if I were a crusader for a cause, it would be organ donation. More specifically, kidney donation.

2020 March, Our Bodies, Our Families, Our MindsKaty Wise GreerMarch 8, 2020Katy Wise Greer, essays, FeaturesComment

How to kill a friendship that needs to die

Hmm, how did I miss the 100% chance of drama and tears this weekend!? Time to cut that stuff loose. Here are 6 signs that you have a friendship that has outlasted its best by date

2020 March, Our Weekends, Our FamiliesMeredith StoneMarch 8, 2020Meredith Stone, FeaturesComment

When you wish someone would just die already

Given the right set of circumstances, I might have killed him myself. I even thought about how I would do it — and with his endless list of vices, it wouldn’t have been hard.

2020 March, Our FamiliesJena DunhamMarch 8, 2020Jena Dunham, essaysComment