Passed and Present

Passed and Present is not about sadness and grieving—it is about love, family,
and connection. It is about looking forward to a rich and joyful life, while
keeping our memories of loved ones alive.

Passed and Present is a easy-to-use roadmap for discovering creative, meaningful, and inspiring ways to keep the memories of our loved ones vibrant long after they are gone. Upbeat and empowering, Passed and Present is an action-driven handbook that takes readers far beyond the initial stages of grief, offering concrete steps for remembering loved ones, a practice closely intertwined with healing. This much-needed, one-of-a-kind guide shares 85 imaginative ways to celebrate and honor family and friends we never want to forget.

Topics include:
Use Technology: Put remembrance in a contemporary context by incorporating memories into your digital life.

Repurpose With Purpose: Enjoy inherited items in a meaningful way, and reimagine how they can bring you joy.

Not Just Holidays: Transform routine and ordinary experiences into memory-preserving opportunities.

Monthly Guide: Calendar-specific dates offer unique opportunities for honoring your loved ones.

Places to Go: Strengthen connections to the past with commemorative travel.

Passed and Present includes beautiful illustrations throughout by artist Jennifer Orkin Lewis and an introduction by Hope Edelman, bestselling author of Motherless Daughters.

About the author: ALLISON GILBERT is the author of Always Too Soon: Voices of Support for Those Who Have Lost Both Parents, and its follow-up book, Parentless Parents: How the Loss of Our Mothers and Fathers Impacts the Way We Raise Our Children. She is co-editor of Covering Catastrophe: Broadcast Journalists Report September 11. Gilbert has been featured on CNN, FOX, MSNBC, ABC, and NPR, and her writing appears in numerous publications and websites including CNN.com, The New York Times, The Daily Beast, and the Huffington Post. An Emmy award-winning journalist, Gilbert started her career in television news. She lives outside New York City with her husband and two children.