We asked, and over 800 of you answered.
A friend of mine was devastated when his great-aunt died last year. One thing they loved to do together, he told me, was watch “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.” He continues to tune in — and maintains running commentary throughout the show.
It’s as if she’s still sitting next to him, he said.
We often process death through funerals and casserole drop-offs. So it can feel strange to deviate from culturally accepted rituals of grieving, said Carla Fernandez, author of “Renegade Grief.”
But no two people experience grief the same way, said Larry Carlat, a grief counselor and author of “A Space in the Heart: A Survival Guide for Grieving Parents.”
“Our grief fits us like a glove,” he said. “And it’s shaped by the person we loved and lost.”
A few weeks ago, I asked readers to share the ways they stay close to a late loved one. I received over 800 responses, and I read every single one. Some of the many that inspired me are below, edited for clarity and length.
I hope they help normalize all the forms grief can take.
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Dad was a fan of Hostess orange cupcakes. Now they are “dad cupcakes,” and finding them at any gas station or bodega is an immediate comfort to me. Though I’m eating fewer now than when he passed, they always do the trick. — Sarah Luciano, Highland, N.Y.
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My beloved grandmother was a very loud sneezer. Whenever I sneeze, I’m happy when it’s loud, because I’m reminded of her. — Terri Foland, Half Moon Bay, Calif.