death of a parent

T Kira Madden, Photo credit: Jac Martinez

How T Kira Madden’s ‘Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls’ Made Me Stop Playing the Grief Olympics 

T Kira Madden’s debut, Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls, shifted my understanding of myself to a degree I’ve never experienced.

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It was the night before my father’s funeral that I finally asked the tarot for help.

Using Tarot To Work Through Trauma

It was the night before my father’s funeral that I finally asked the tarot for help. I was incapable of imagining a future where I delivered his eulogy.

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Photo: Lilly Dancyger

Wearing Dead People’s Clothing

Three of my favorite t-shirts used to belong to dead people. I wear them when I want to feel my departed loved ones close to me.

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Did my mom feel alone, as if she were blamed for what happened to her? Like nobody could understand what she was dealing with?

After My Mom Died, Drinking Made Me Feel Closer To Her

When my mom died, I made a list of things that made me similar to her: My favorite color was purple, I liked to write, I loved reading, I adored cats, I didn’t wear makeup, my favorite soda was Pepsi, I lived in oversized sweaters. I was 11, so I didn’t add “I love to drink” to the list, but it crosses my mind now whenever I’m at a bar with friends, and I decide to order a cocktail.

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“Just feel it,” my friend said. “Take it as your father speaking to you, telling you how much he loves you.” (Image via YouTube)

"This Is Us" Mirrors Watching My Absent Black Father Die of Cancer

When This Is Us debuted, I was all in. What I didn’t expect is that it would touch my heartstrings in a way I hadn’t prepared for.

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