By Rebecca Hensler In the world of grief support, we talk all the time about those difficult days: The anniversary of our loved one’s death (which we at Grief Beyond Belief don’t euphemize as their “Angelversary”), their birthday, holidays, wedding anniversaries and back-to-school. But we rarely talk about how we feel about our own birthdays. […]
by Deborah Gitlitz When I came into this room, you were already here. When the fierce winds pushed me in, and the door slammed shut, you looked up from your tables of quiet fellowship and you greeted me. You know who you are. I knew who I was. Now I am becoming again. I never […]
by Rebecca Hensler [Content notes: The following entry involves discussion of suicidal ideation, suicide prevention, and a death by suicide, all in the context of grief. As always at Grief Beyond Belief, please keep comments free of religious or spiritual content.] The following is entirely the personal thoughts of the author, except where cited through […]
The following guest blog post was originally published in Still Standing blog in August of 2017 and is republished here with the permission of the author. It speaks to the experience of leaving religion following a profound loss, and contains language often associated with faith, such as “blessed” and “prayer,” but repurposes the words to […]
By Nicola Ginzler Sun is red, moon is cracked, Daddy’s never coming back. Nothing’s ever yours to keep, Close your eyes, go to sleep. —Tom Waits, Blood Money So I’m driving the 25 miles down 101 from San Francisco to Belmont, CA, listening to the ever-cheerful Mr. Waits and crying my eyes out. I’m on […]
By Tim Kingston I have been suffering from what could best be termed “temporal whiplash” lately. I am part of a group that organized a June reunion of AIDS activists for the 25th anniversary of the VI International AIDS Conference, held in San Francisco in 1990. At that time, I was a reporter loosely affiliated with the […]
Going through the archives of GBB, I frequently find comments where people ask why their brains insist on not just remembering that someone is gone, but reminding them they’re gone. We forget for a few precious seconds and have our minds to ourselves, then bam, we’re hit again. We see a show and laugh, reaching […]
The following essay is anonymous. The author wanted to share his experience of grieving — and not grieving — during the early years of the AIDS epidemic with a degree of honesty that made it impossible to publish under his own name. I know I’m not the last man standing, and I know that […]
Why is it that my grief seems to give people permission to invade my personal space? A total stranger and I are talking about our work, the way strangers do. We are on the patio at a club, and we’ve both had a few drinks, so the conversation is a little less coherent and a little more […]
