My mother died on my birthday.

Opening Scene

The room is softly lit, with a single table lamp casting gentle shadows across the walls. Outside, the city is quiet, the usual noise of the day fading into the stillness of night. Jack sits at the table, his expression reflective, his hands clasped together as he thinks. Jeeny stands by the window, arms crossed, looking out into the city below. The atmosphere is calm, yet there is an underlying sense of heaviness, as if they are about to engage in a conversation that goes beyond the surface.

Host: After a moment of quiet, Jeeny turns from the window, her voice calm but heavy with thought, breaking the silence.

Jeeny: “I came across a quote by Shannon Briggs that struck me deeply. He said, ‘My mother died on my birthday.’ It’s such a simple statement, but it holds so much weight. I can’t even imagine the complexity of that kind of loss — losing someone so important on a day that is supposed to be about celebration. What do you think about the emotional impact of something like that?”

Jack: “It’s heartbreaking, isn’t it? To lose someone you love, and especially for it to happen on a day that should bring joy, feels like such a cruel paradox. Birthdays are a time to celebrate life, but for Shannon Briggs, it must have turned into a reminder of loss every year. It’s such a complicated mix of emotions — grief intertwined with what should be a celebratory occasion. It’s not just about the loss itself; it’s about the way it changes the very meaning of a day that once held joy.”

Jeeny: “Exactly. It’s one of those situations where the passage of time feels distorted. On your birthday, you’re meant to feel special, to reflect on the years behind you and the ones ahead. But when grief is tied to that day, it shifts everything. It’s a reminder that life isn’t just about the happy moments; it’s also about the painful ones, and sometimes those moments are out of our control. The juxtaposition of those emotions on one day, year after year, must carry an immense weight.”

Jack: “That’s the thing about grief, right? It doesn’t just affect the moment it happens; it colors every moment after that. And when it’s tied to something like a birthday, which is supposed to be a personal celebration, it takes on a new layer of meaning. You can never truly separate the joy from the sadness, and that makes it even more complicated.”

Host: The conversation deepens, as both reflect on the weight of loss and the complexity of emotions. Jack sets his hands on the table, looking thoughtful, while Jeeny moves closer, her voice steady as she continues.

Jeeny: “It also makes me think about how memories shape our experience of time. Losing someone close to you changes the way you remember things. Every year, on your birthday, Shannon Briggs might remember the loss of his mother just as much as he remembers his own life. It’s like grief stamps itself onto those days, leaving a permanent mark on what should be happy moments. And that’s something that’s really hard to reconcile.”

Jack: “Exactly. It’s not just about the grief in the immediate moment, but about how it changes the way you experience time moving forward. There’s a way that pain can become intertwined with time, like every milestone or celebration has the potential to bring up that grief. It’s like living with a piece of unfinished business. And that can make moving forward feel like an impossible task, as if every step forward is also a step closer to confronting that pain again.”

Jeeny: “And yet, I think that’s what makes us resilient, right? It’s the ability to live with those contradictions, with the pain and the joy in the same space. It doesn’t mean you forget, or that you somehow erase the grief — but it’s about finding a way to move through life while carrying both the sorrow and the beauty. The idea that we can still celebrate and move forward, even when part of us is always marked by what we’ve lost.”

Jack: “That’s a good point. Maybe part of healing, and part of life, is learning to hold both the joy and the sorrow at the same time. The grief might always be a part of who you are, but it doesn’t mean you can’t find a way to live despite it. It’s about creating space for those emotions, not letting them overshadow everything, but acknowledging them and moving forward with them as part of you.”

Host: The room grows quieter, as though the weight of their reflections has settled in between them. Outside, the world continues at its usual pace, but inside, Jack and Jeeny share the realization that grief, especially when tied to something as significant as a birthday, can change the way we view life, time, and celebration. It’s a reminder that while we may always carry loss with us, it’s possible to live with it, to find meaning and growth even in the midst of grief.

Jeeny: “So, maybe the lesson here is that grief doesn’t have to define us, even though it will always be a part of us. We can carry both joy and sorrow, and find a way to move forward with them, accepting that some moments will always carry that weight.”

Jack: “Exactly. It’s about resilience. Grief will always be a part of who we are, but it doesn’t have to stop us from living fully. It’s about finding a way to embrace both the light and the dark.”

Host: As the evening continues, the conversation settles into a quiet understanding. Loss shapes us, but it doesn’t have to define us. While we may always carry grief, we also carry the potential to find joy, meaning, and growth in the midst of it. And in doing so, we honor both the pain of the past and the promise of the future.