In doing a little research for my latest book, I learnt a couple of new words: 'Triduum' and 'Allhallowtide'. I'm not suggesting that you don't know what they mean, but for the benefit of my self-importance and as a segue into what I'm planning to share, a triduum is a religious observance that lasts three days, and Allhallowtide is one such example, encompassing All Hallows' Eve (Halloween), All Hallows' Day (All Saints' Day) and All Souls' Day. All Souls' Day, which occurs on 2 November, is a day of prayer for the souls of the faithful departed and it's a day when I reflect on those that I have loved and lost. It's a time of great comfort to me. It's not the only time of year that I pause to think about those that are no longer with us. The anniversaries of my parents' and sister's deaths are dates that cause me to pause and be thankful for their time in my life. When my mother died in April 2004, I experienced a grief spiked with the guilt I felt at not being with her during the worst of her illness, arriving in New Zealand from our home in New Jersey, just a few hours before she passed. As a mechanism for coping with her death, I poured myself onto the page, and over a period of ten days, I wrote a short memoir, Together Again. I cried during its genesis and not just the tears that wend down a cheek, drying before they've had a chance to fall. No, at times I sobbed, thinking about the woman we'd lost, lamenting the joy that Nana could no longer gift to her grandchildren, wrestling with the knowledge that my sisters had borne the brunt of the helplessness as they watched our mother suffer. It was a cathartic exercise, but also an exorcism. It provided a path to rid me of the worst of my grief, allowing me to move to that place where my mother's memory brought more smiles than tears. On completion, I intended to share it just with family and close friends, but such was their feedback, that I chose to publish it so that others might be able to find it and, hopefully, take some comfort from my words. While it is a celebration of my mother, it's a piece of writing layered in pathos. It hurt to write, and whenever I return to it, it hurts to read, but every time I do, I come away comforted, feeling better than before. Perhaps that's because I pick it up in a time of need, knowing that my soul will receive a restorative. Given that it's an intensely personal piece, I'm not sure whether others will derive the benefit that I do from reading it, but if in a moment of darkness, it brings light to a reader somewhere, then its job is done. As such, the Kindle version will be freely available between 24 - 28 April 2026. If you'd like a copy, click on the button below. I'm sorry that I can't make the paperback freely available too, but if you are able to read it, I'd love to hear your thoughts or read your reviews. | 
