“Nothing prepared me for the loss of my mother. Even knowing that she w...” — Meghan O'Rourke Quote

Nothing prepared me for the loss of my mother. Even knowing that she would die did not prepare me.

I am the indoctrinated child of two lapsed Irish Catholics. Which is to say: I am not religious.

I believe in the importance of individuality, but in the midst of grief I also find myself wanting connection - wanting to be reminded that the sadness I feel is not just mine but ours.

It's all too easy when talking about female gymnasts to fall into the trap of infantilizing them, spending more time worrying more about female vulnerability than we do celebrating female strength.

Any kind of loss helps when you talk about it.

Every loss is something I learn from.

There will be opportunities for hope and happiness, and happiness will return to your life, but you will always feel that loss if that person really meant that great a deal to you.

Life is really pretty tricky, and there's a lot of loss, and the longer you stay alive, the more people you lose whom you actually couldn't live without.

Hair loss is God's way of telling me I'm human.