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This Is Not the Worst
In a rare departure from the norm, I am actually writing this post for non-grieving parents and people, rather than for those who have...

Anna Sweat
Mar 23, 20208 min read


Grief in a Pandemic: Resources for Troubling Times
Currently, the world is facing a global health crisis as novel coronavirus seeds infection from one continent to the next. I'm not...

Anna Sweat
Mar 13, 20205 min read


No Greater Love Story
Once, I told a friend—a fellow grieving mom—that I would tear the universe apart searching for Evelyn. "What would you do if you found...

Anna Sweat
Feb 12, 20204 min read


Acclimating to the Light
Imagine you've been living in a very dark room for a very long time. There are no windows in your room, no openings to let the light in....

Anna Sweat
Jan 14, 20205 min read


An Age Apart
Now I lay me down to sleep. This is how it begins. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. Innocent really. A prayer from my childhood....

Anna Sweat
Dec 31, 20194 min read


Stomaching Christmas After Loss
The first season, it was the "Christmas spirit" that got to me most. That sugary, sickening, manic joy that everyone exudes. The high of...

Anna Sweat
Dec 6, 20194 min read


Doubling Down on Sad: When Depression Precedes Grief
I had my first depressive episode when I was twelve. It was fresh on the heels of two early back-to-back traumas. Moving for the first...

Anna Sweat
Nov 11, 20197 min read


Don't Lean on Me
The subject of this post was requested by a friend and fellow grieving mother. If ever you would like to see me cover a subject on the...

Anna Sweat
Oct 21, 20199 min read


The Novel I Wish I Never Wrote
They say life imitates art. I sincerely hope that isn't true. When my 18-year-old daughter unexpectedly died in her sleep two months...

Anna Sweat
Sep 16, 20198 min read


The Long Road to Forgiveness
Dear Anna, I'm supposed to be writing about how I forgive you, but I think we both know that neither of us is ready for that letter yet....

Anna Sweat
Sep 5, 20193 min read


Progress in Grief: Two Years Later
Looking back. It's not something I ever really did in The Before. I was far busier worrying over a future that had yet to arrive than...

Anna Sweat
Aug 7, 20193 min read


Mourning the Wolf Daughter
I know my children. I know them in an unknowable place that is inside me and beyond me. I know the shapes their souls take when they...

Anna Sweat
Jul 17, 20196 min read


Grief Hijacking: When Others Need Your Loss to be About Them
There's a phenomenon I've witnessed as a grieving mother that I only know to describe as grief hijacking, though I imagine this may...

Anna Sweat
Jul 2, 20196 min read


The Mending
The way you put yourself back together is like this: with a slow, strong stitch and a steady, gentle hand. One. Minuscule. Piece. At. A....

Anna Sweat
Jun 10, 20195 min read


Things That Saved My Life
Let me be clear—that title is not click bait. The urge to rush headlong off the nearest cliff to be with my baby girl would come with...

Anna Sweat
May 29, 20196 min read


Grieving My Gay Child
Evelyn came out to us when she was thirteen. I'd been telling my kids for years—since I first started talking to them about love and...

Anna Sweat
May 2, 20195 min read


Anywhere But Here
Obligate ram ventilator. This is what I've become. About two dozen species of sharks are known for breathing this way. It means they must...

Anna Sweat
Apr 11, 20193 min read


An Exercise in Shame
The following is a journal entry I wrote on shame at the behest of my grief counselor. Shame is a very ugly corner of child loss. After...

Anna Sweat
Mar 19, 20196 min read


Extraordinary Days
We are walking side by side through a patchwork of sunlight and pine needles. The sun is high and persistent, and the air is humming with...

Anna Sweat
Mar 1, 20194 min read


PTSD Means ...
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. When trauma and loss collide, such as in the unexpected death of your healthy child, such as in the...

Anna Sweat
Feb 11, 20197 min read
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