Toni Lepeska
When a Parent Dies
Each of us will follow a unique timeline with grief, but as I reflect on my journey, I see things I did and things that helped me find a measure of healing. I’ve identified eight for you here.
I stood frozen in the doorway of my parents’ walk-in closet again, my eyes darting from Mom’s red party dress to Dad’s sports jackets. Cleaning out a loved one’s closet is perhaps one of the most daunting tasks. I put it off for eight years. Here’s what I learned.
I call July “death month.” My parents died three years apart, both in July. I’ve been through lots of Julys now, and I’ve noticed three ways I’ve responded. I think they can help you, too.
Her articles were never accepted for publication, but if she’d never written them, I would have lost the stories. I would have lost a piece of her.
