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Age of Empathy

We publish high-quality personal essays, humor essays, and writer interviews. Our goal is to provide a place for experienced writers to share authentic stories and connect with others, collectively celebrating a common passion, striving toward an age of empathy.

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Family | Grief | Dreams

It’s Been Four Years Since She Died. Why Am I Still Telling Her?

Four years later, my subconscious has caught up to my reality.

5 min readMay 1, 2025

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They say Momma is always with me. | Photo by Adobe Firefly

Grief still has a way of surprising me.

This coming September will mark four years since Momma physically left this Earth. There are days when it feels like it happened just yesterday, and others that feel less so. The latter emotional space is where I find myself most of the time — a dull heartache that’s manageable if I can find a good enough distraction. If grief is the remaining love (or “love persevering,” as say), then I know this is something I will feel on wavering levels for the rest of my life.

Just recently, I found myself experiencing a new development of my grief: Knowing that Momma’s gone in both my waking and sleeping life.

Momma has made multiple appearances in my dreams since her passing. Before this point, I saw her alive and well, just as lively and loud as she often was. But lately, when she appears, I find that I have to break the sad news to her. Her reaction to this tends to mirror the stubbornness she exuded in life, a trait I genuinely miss more than I ever thought I would.

Age of Empathy
Age of Empathy

Published in Age of Empathy

We publish high-quality personal essays, humor essays, and writer interviews. Our goal is to provide a place for experienced writers to share authentic stories and connect with others, collectively celebrating a common passion, striving toward an age of empathy.

Jonathan Apollo
Jonathan Apollo

Written by Jonathan Apollo

NYC-er. Millennial. Commentator. Neurodivergent. I drink (coffee) and I know things.

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