Category Archives: Graveyard Shift

In which I discuss death and dying, a topic I happen to know a lot about.

9/17/11: the art of “doing grief”

Posted on September 17, 2011 by

In a comment to a recent post, Linda asks: I wonder if we grieve our own impending death.  I love this question. And my answer is something I feel far more certain of than the question of what happens after … Continue reading →

Posted in Graveyard Shift | 2 Comments

9/06/11: every death, a death

Posted on September 6, 2011 by

My friend’s mother died this morning. Although she was elderly, her sudden decline and death was a shock to the family. My friend is distraught, her grief is raw and palpable over the phone. I remind myself that we only … Continue reading →

Posted in Graveyard Shift | 2 Comments

7/12/11: 18 years later

Posted on July 12, 2011 by

For Jon Marshall Greenberg God is gracious February 22, 1956 – July 12, 1993 Journal entry, June 2, 1992 This is a holy war. A war in which the physically ill must fight, tooth and nail for control of their … Continue reading →

Posted in Graveyard Shift, Recipes | 1 Comment

7/05/11: Think about it

Posted on July 5, 2011 by

So if I (you are encouraged to substitute ‘you’ for ‘I’ here) died today, unexpectedly of course, what would happen with the detritus of a life? Someone or some ones would have to retrieve, think about, go through, and make … Continue reading →

Posted in Graveyard Shift | 3 Comments

6/26/11: more ado about journals

Posted on June 26, 2011 by

I received an email the other day from a student of my friend Jon Greenberg. It was completely out of the blue, Jon died of complications of AIDS in 1993, it will be 18 years next month. He was an … Continue reading →

Posted in An Accumulation of Losses, Graveyard Shift | Leave a comment

6/16/11: Why I’m not a survivor

Posted on June 16, 2011 by

It’s a small bracelet, possibly you can’t even read the DNR inscription on it. I’m wearing it these days. I’ve written the following excerpt into my living will. I like being very explicit. And now you know. Excerpt: My purpose is … Continue reading →

Posted in Graveyard Shift, Recipes | 3 Comments

6/11/11: Prologue

Posted on June 11, 2011 by

On a bright and chilly October day, with orange and yellow leaves floating down to rest on suburban lawns, Jocelyn did not return home from school.  Martha called the school to learn that she had boarded the 4:30 school bus, … Continue reading →

Posted in Fables and Fairytales, Graveyard Shift | Leave a comment

6/09/11: The embodiment of grief

Posted on June 9, 2011 by

Last night I read The Body Artist by Don Delillo (2001). It is possibly the most authentic and moving grief narrative that I have encountered. The book jacket did not describe the novel as a grief narrative, nor did the … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Report, Graveyard Shift | Leave a comment

6/08/11: In which I share some opinions about God and the afterlife

Posted on June 8, 2011 by

First I should say that, to me, the word belief signifies no more or less than one’s strongly held opinions about what is true, meaningful, or real.  Much of the time, our beliefs matter little, although I accept that in those moments when … Continue reading →

Posted in Graveyard Shift, Weather Report | 3 Comments

6/07/11: “After a long battle”

Posted on June 7, 2011 by

“After a long battle” Days shrink with darkness and chilblain rain. We crawl on black ice, car slams into car, as in love gone mad. This much I swear: I will not be losing a long battle to cancer. You … Continue reading →

Posted in An Accumulation of Losses, Graveyard Shift | Leave a comment