Kate McGrath

My journey began on March 22, 1986. There is nothing any more or less significant about my story than there is another person’s story; however, my story is unique nonetheless. I am twenty-four years old, a graduate student working towards a degree in Mental Health Counseling with a concentration in Thanatology, and an admirer of the simple gifts in life: refreshingly cool air, hot apple cider, the way leaves pick up and float gently in the air. My story has had its share of challenging moments, one of which was the loss of my older brother and only sibling, John. John was involved in an alcohol related motor vehicle accident. This event has undoubtedly shaped who I am today and who I want to become, professionally speaking, in my future. Grief, I have found, has an uncanny sense of humor – it can shake you to your core and simultaneously help you to see more clearly the importance of each day. While the death of my brother is a significant chapter in my life story, I have grown from that tragic experience and have come to realize that because of that chapter, I am at a place where I doubt I would be had my brother not died. I am grateful for the gift of my life; along with the many experiences I have had thus far – the bitter and the sweet, and have found that often, the bitter moments are what make life more significant. If my life had involved only moments of joy and happiness, I wonder if I would be able to recognize that individual quirks of others, someone’s voice, even the way someone’s clothes smell, are indeed memories to hold onto – from my experience, I believe those would have been taken for granted. All chapters in my life have been formative – and for all of those, I am grateful.

Articles:

Falling into Autumn, Season of Bitter and Sweet

The air has changed. Rather than being sun-kissed by the warmth of the day during the summer months, the crisp air of fall is an invigorating embrace which envelopes me and is a welcomed presence. The air is not the only change this season brings: classes have resumed, regular work schedules have begun again, and the rhythm of busy schedules have ensued. This past summer, now a sweet memory, has ended; however, as the seasons ebb and flow, I can look forward to next summer. Now however, I am falling in love with autumn once again. Of all seasons, fall is […]

Picture Me a Memory: Old Photos are Stirring

On a recent trip to Italy, I developed an interest in photography. There were simply too many picture-perfect moments that I had to honor with the click of my camera. And so, for Christmas, my parents bought me a gift for the purpose of cultivating this new and creative interest of mine – a new camera! Since then, I have gone click-crazy in an attempt to capture significant, meaningful moments – including those which feed not only my soul, but fill my stomach as well! I now have well over two hundred pictures from Christmas and New Year’s alone, not […]

‘I’ll Take a Christmas Tree, Stocking and Kleenex for the Road’

The halls are decked out with glittered-things galore, our stockings are hung on the mantle with care, and one Christmas tree is glimmering – trimmed to the top because of an unexpected amount of holiday cheer. I couldn’t ask for anything more. Oh wait. Yes I could. Dear Brother, where are you? If only you could be here this very second! Indeed, I find it funny how the holiday seasons can be like that. At one point, I can find myself totally calm and in a state of complete bliss, especially after hearing my favorite piano rendition of “What Child […]

Multiple Meanings for the Pietà

Art and music have a way of touching me in a way that words do not. I have always found much solace in seeing brilliant colors like cerulean paired with subtle hues of baby blue. So too have I been comforted upon hearing brilliant tones highlighted by subtle changes in volume. One of my most favorite works of art though, is Michelangelo’s Pietà. A statue originally commissioned for a cardinal’s funeral monument, which shows the Virgin Mary holding her son Jesus after his death. While I prefer Michelangelo’s Pietà – because of its simplicity and elegance, I find the image […]

Avoiding the Holiday Hum ‘Bug’

Thanksgiving has left me full and tired. I am full – not only of turkey, dressing, and mashed potatoes, but with gratitude and thanksgiving for family and friends. I am tired – exhausted from filling myself with so much food and from the emotional toll that often accompanies the holiday seasons. Now that the feast and holiday of Thanksgiving is done, I have begun to anticipate the holiday of Christmas and all that it entails: various sights, sounds, and smells which have certain bitter-sweet associations attached. Due to the anxiety that comes about as a result of worrying what Christmas […]

Turkey, Cranberry Sauce and Memories

The holiday season has arrived and I welcome it! I open my arms to the experience of feeling excited and simultaneously having the sensation of a throat constricting grief – well-known visitors during the holidays. Together, bitter and sweet emotions have given my life vibrancy I would have least expected, especially when my brother died sixteen years ago. Indeed, I would have gladly cast off any emotions that are the antithesis of joy or happiness. And as an eight-year-old at that time, I probably did avoid such feelings. Today, I give thanks for those moments that I can mourn the […]