“I began this process by wondering what it would mean for me to lay Momma to rest. But I did the opposite of laying her to rest—I brought her stories back to life, making her more real to me and less of a stranger. I worked to remember her. I was carrying around her dead body with me before, and now I carry the parts that are alive.” HopeLossGriefDepressionCancerMotherhood Book:The Mourning Report Source: The Mourning Report
“My whole world depended on Momma's. But I'm trying to embrace the present, and I've learned to admire smallness. Some days, I go on car rides with my sisters, and we listen to bouncy music and sing along, off-key, and we laugh as we recall stories from childhood, and I feel free.” LoveHopeLossGriefFamilyDepression Book:The Mourning Report Source: The Mourning Report
“When a play ends, the audience gets up and follows signs for the exit. For a few hours after Momma died, I lay in my bed and thought I might not ever be able to get up again--without her and her direction, I worried that I'd forget the basic rules of existing.” LossGriefHealingDepressionCancer Book:The Mourning Report Source: The Mourning Report
“I took out my anger on my hair when Momma had none. Momma was dying, and her body was destroying itself from the inside out—and I didn’t want to live in a body that was healthy, or with a head full of hair, if she couldn’t have that, too. If her body was collapsing, I wanted to destroy mine.” LossGriefHairDepressionSelf WorthBody Image Book:The Mourning Report Source: The Mourning Report