Thursday, June 4, 2015

Sheryl Sandberg's essay on Dave Goldberg's death and grief.

Sheryl Sandberg's Post on Late Husband Sets Off Meditations on Grief - NYTimes.com:
Sheryl Sandberg's essay on Dave Goldberg's death and grief - Business Insider:
Sheryl Sandberg - Today is the end of sheloshim for my beloved...
Here's the essay in full:
"Today is the end of sheloshim for my beloved husband—the first thirty days. Judaism calls for a period of intense mourning known as shiva that lasts seven days after a loved one is buried. After shiva, most normal activities can be resumed, but it is the end of sheloshim that marks the completion of religious mourning for a spouse.

A childhood friend of mine who is now a rabbi recently told me that the most powerful one-line prayer he has ever read is: "Let me not die while I am still alive." I would have never understood that prayer before losing Dave. Now I do.

I think when tragedy occurs, it presents a choice. You can give in to the void, the emptiness that fills your heart, your lungs, constricts your ability to think or even breathe. Or you can try to find meaning. These past thirty days, I have spent many of my moments lost in that void. And I know that many future moments will be consumed by the vast emptiness as well.

But when I can, I want to choose life and meaning.

And this is why I am writing: to mark the end of sheloshim and to give back some of what others have given to me. While the experience of grief is profoundly personal, the bravery of those who have shared their own experiences has helped pull me through. Some who opened their hearts were my closest friends. Others were total strangers who have shared wisdom and advice publicly. So I am sharing what I have learned in the hope that it helps someone else. In the hope that there can be some meaning from this tragedy.

Юлия Высоцкая.

Юлия Высоцкая: первое интервью о дочери, муже и автокатастрофе:
"Актриса призналась, что в ее новой жизни практически не осталось места старым знакомым, привыкшим видеть ее радостной, улыбчивой и далекой от каких бы то ни было проблем.
По словам Юлии, она хотела бы сохранить и уберечь свой мир от посторонних глаз.
«Люди не хотят выглядеть черствыми. Но многие из них – часть той жизни, которая для меня закончилась, - откровенно заявила Высоцкая. - Дополнительное напоминание. Моя рана не закрылась и не закроется никогда»."
'via Blog this'

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Lynn Barber on her liaison as a 16-year-old with an older man.

Lynn Barber on her liaison as a 16-year-old with an older man | Culture | The Guardian:
Observer writer and interviewer Lynn Barber was an innocent 16-year-old schoolgirl when she met an older man and began a relationship that lasted two years. By day she was a diligent student; by night 'Simon' charmed her with dazzling stories, expensive restaurants and foreign films. And then came a rude awakening. In this exclusive extract from her memoir - now made into a film starring Carey Mulligan and Rosamund Pike - she describes her introduction to an adult world of sexuality and betrayal and how she was damaged by her suitor's lessons in life.