Today I’m honored and humbled to have a piece up on Modern Loss. Created at the end of 2013 by the talented journalists Gabi Birkner and Rebecca Soeffer, Modern Loss earned a great deal of press from the get-go from the New York Times, NPR, the Chicago Tribune, the Washington Post, and elsewhere for the innovative way Birkner, Soeffer, columnists, and guest writers openly wrote about dealing with grief.
My piece about my grandma Pauline’s dementia and what I considered a double loss was accepted last year a few months after she died. With all the happenings behind a new site, the publication date for this particular post got pushed back several times. About a month ago I got an email from Gabi, who, feeling terrible about the changes for any 2014 dates, wanted to make sure that January 13th would work. She had no idea that January 13th was the first anniversary of Grandma Pauline’s death.
It feels most appropriate to be sharing this piece today on Grandma Pauline’s yartzheit. I loved her very much, and I’ve missed her for a long time–far longer than the year she’s been gone.
The picture attached to the post is from my 16th birthday. It’s not exactly my favorite picture of myself due to my very round face at the time, but it’s one I adore of my grandmother and it captures a time when her mind was still sharp.
Thanks in advance for reading this piece that is very special to me. May my grandmother’s memory be for a blessing.
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