Linda Geraghty

My grandmother suffered a stroke three months before her 100th birthday. While the clot moved through her body, she sat quietly on her sofa knitting an army-green winter cap for Russian orphans. She didn’t know she was in the middle of a medical crisis, but the moment reveals something essential about her: she stayed with her purpose until the end, doing something simple and loving. Every week for ten years she gave hats to an organization that worked with the orphans, yet she never bragged...

Love is one of those emotions we all feel deeply but can’t pin down. We try to define it, measure it, explain it, yet the harder we push, the more confused we become. Love isn’t something we can quantify or debate into clarity. I believe love is energy that moves through us, and changes form when we no longer feel the same. It can shift into emotions like hate, but it never disappears. Raymond Carver expresses this truth in What We Talk About When We Talk About Love . Four people gather at...

When I was a little girl, and felt lonely, my initial reaction was to keep my sadness inside, which eventually transformed into anger after a few days or weeks. I became very upset by things that usually wouldn't normally bother me and took it out on the wrong people. During these moments, having someone to listen and offer validation was comforting. Conversely, I remember occasions when I'd huddle with friends and engage in gossip or not-so-nice behavior. This all came from the need for...