Essays

  • HerStories: Erica

    *Originally published on March 10, 2013

    When Jessica and I introduced HerStories, I spent quite a bit of time deciding which friend I would write about for our first friendship essay of the series. I couldn’t decide if I would write about my best childhood friend, my girlfriend that I’ve had since before I became a mother, or one of the women from my moms’ support group. In the end, I chose Erica, a friend I am connected to through the shared bond of motherhood, as well as another, less obvious and perhaps more painful bond.

     

     

    Read our story here:

    Introducing HerStories: Tales of Friendship- Erica

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  • How My “Grief Twin” Helped Me Mourn My Dad

    Originally published on March 12, 2013 by Jessica Smock.

    When someone you love becomes terminally ill, a lot of people respond by talking about it all the time.  They can’t stop sharing details about their loved one, their illness, the experience of death, and grief.  Others turn inward and process their emotions by thinking about and talking about anything else.  They share small moments here and there of their private grief, but for the most part, they keep their experience walled off from their relationships with other people.

    Read more of Jessica’s HerStories essay about a friend who helped her through a time of grief here.

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