I can't think about death without first considering love.
As a child, I played house, teacher, chef, postman and nanny with my sister. She was my main playmate. She had friends of her own, and with that brought jealousy. Love can sting.
She died when I was 21, and it nearly broke me completely. The intense grief that was internalized for many years following her death is a testament to that love.
It seemed impossible to open my heart for the romantic love I found for my husband or familial love for my brother's girlfriend.
Love is one of the riskiest emotions to put out into the world. Love always comes with a risk of loss: friends move away, ideals don't merge, and sometimes the ones you love the most die before you are ready to let them go.
This letter is part of the Death Letter Project - North Carolina, a means to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Historic Oakwood Cemetery in Raleigh, NC.
Credits:
Michael Palko