Overcoming Loss and Grief

Jason B. Rosenthal, the husband of the late author Amy Krouse Rosenthal, who wrote the famed meditation on death 'You May Want to Marry My Husband,' delivered a talk on loss for TED, in which he discusses how he was able to deal with life-changing grief.

As Rosenthal explains, Amy was his partner for half of his life, and was the mother of his three children. After he and his wife decided it would be best to set up a home hospice, Rosenthal was there to experience her last moments and the stories that she shared with the many friends and family members who came to visit her. Although these special memories remain with him, Rosenthal is also left with some that haunt him, such as his wife's increasingly weakening body as she battled ovarian cancer.

As Rosenthal explains, he was eventually able to step out and seek the joy in life, however he still finds himself faced with the overbearing sadness that he feels towards the loss of his wife. Although he had initially thought that this feeling would never end, his wife's encouragement for him to move on helped him to remember the importance of doing so.

By sharing these lasting images with his audience, Rosenthal shows them a very real picture of what it's like to go through such an experience, and prompts listeners to reach out to those who might have been through something similar. In addition, he encourages those who've faced loss to not give up, and reminds them to look for a fresh start by finding the beauty in those small moments that remind them of what matters.