Read previous chapters here. This is the final chapter. Chapter 16 Leda enters the hospital with Diane on her heels. She thinks her daughter is talking to her, trying to calm her, but she does not hear anything. She only sees the reception desk and the long hall beyond the doors that are closed to... Continue Reading →
Last week on September 16, my paternal grandmother, Madge Lorene Carmack Thompson, died in a hospital in Missouri, surrounded by her sons. She was 78 years old and had been battling cancer. I had the opportunity to attend her memorial service in Missouri on Sunday. As I perused the display my father had set up... Continue Reading →
One of my favorite books, that happens to be about grief, is The Year of Magical Thinking (2005) by Joan Didion. I found this book at the thrift store, and when I finally took it off my shelf in the basement to move it upstairs to my nightstand, I ended up cracking it open just... Continue Reading →
I collapsed in front of my locker, and black teenage mascara tears drip-stained my knees. A group of dry-eyed friends tried patting me, hugging me, pulling on me, and cajoling me with soft words, but I could barely see them. All I could think about was him. How could the one person who listened to... Continue Reading →
The first time my sister Haley received an invitation for a sleepover, it was to her best friend Martha’s house. Such an invitation is exciting and a celebrated first experience away from home. However, Martha lived in a mortuary. Her father was a mortician, whose residence was attached to his place of work and business. ... Continue Reading →
The Bookshelf of Emily J. 