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Funeral Wreaths
Parent Loss
My mother is dying. Try saying that five times without getting teary-eyed or feeling a tight squeeze in your heart. It doesn’t matter if it is true for you now, or not yet, or in the past. The pain is saddening, confusing, and inevitable.
“It’s not the end of the physical body that should worry us. Rather our concern must be to live while we’re alive.” — Elizabeth Ross
Life and death go together, and we all know it. This essay has been coming for awhile, due to three separate events. Earlier this year, one of my great aunts died, and her daughter wrote a short piece about what she learned from her Mom. Beth’s words are poignant and valuable. This essay will close with her words.
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Parent Loss

A grandfather's death inspires his grandchildren to create a book of wishes in this sensitive portrayal of dealing with the loss of a loved one. When Anna and her little brother Joey hear the sad news about their Poppy's death, they begin to think about what they would do if they could have one more day with him. They smile thinking about Poppy’s crazy birthday hat, giggle at the silly songs Poppy used to plunk out on the piano, and laugh out loud at the weekly chicken-soup game they played with him at the deli. As the list grows into a pile, the pile becomes a book—a book of wishes for one more day with Poppy—or, as their mother explains, a memory book of the love and fun they shared with him, since all of their wishes have already come true. This treasured memento celebrates Poppy’s life and helps Anna and Joey keep his memory alive for years to come.


