Thoughts

Living through loss: A sister’s journey toward vulnerability

It’s said that grief is love persevering, but when my brother Danny died by suicide on February 9, 2004, my grief didn’t feel like love — it felt like failure, anger, and…
By Colleen O’Connell-Campbell

When love isn’t enough: Love, loss, and the shadow of addiction

My story is one of profound love and devastating loss — of joy and pain, pride and shame. It’s about the impact of addiction on a person and their loved ones, and the par…
By Jennifer Vriend

My princess diary: Living as my true self

I was four years old when I first announced that I was a girl. Nobody else saw it that way; they said I was a boy and told me that the girl inside didn’t belong. Unable t…
By Holly Jacobs

What widow fantasies taught me about happiness 

Seven years into my marriage, I started to daydream about planning my husband’s funeral.  I thought about the outfits in which I’d dress our young children for th…
By Hollay Ghadery

Alzheimer’s won’t rob us of who our dad is 

My brother, father, mother and sister (from left) Recently, while I was visiting my dad in Ireland, he asked my mom how many children I have. This means he forgot who…
By Deirdre Freiheit

The eldest daughter effect: Navigating expectations and responsibilities

While I’m mostly a reader of fiction, over the years I’ve bought a dozen or so self-help books. These have titles like “How to Stop Being a People Pleaser,” “Setting B…
By Tudor Robins

I am dying of brain cancer. The kindness of Swifties changed my heart forever

Two years ago, I sat my daughter down to give her devastating news: I had brain cancer, and my life would be cut short.  We had to move cities to be closer to fam…
By Jennifer Mihill

Recovery is not weakness: Redefining addiction and courage

The dichotomy of my recovery from alcoholism — being both my greatest accomplishment and a source of stigma that silences me — is deeply confusing. Here’s why. I am An…
By Annie Wiggins