Memorial Days

by Geraldine Brooks

I do know this: My job is to carry his light. To keep him vibrantly illuminated for my sons, and for their children—his grandchildren—whenever they get here.

I have written this because I needed to do it. Part of the treatment for “complicated grief” is to relive the trauma of the death, returning to the moments again and again, striving each time to recall more detail. That’s what I have tried to do.

And finally, in whatever way works for you, tell your story. Write it down, speak it to a therapist, share it with your friends. Take control of this essential moment in the narrative of your life.