Justina McCormick

Memory Recalled

America seems to believe we can only publicly fixate on our emotions on specific days; Valentine’s Day for love, Independence Day for pride, and Memorial Day for grief. The average time off from work for a death in the family is three days (unpaid) and by the end of a month everyone else expects you to be back to a normal state of mind. In Autumn of 2020, I found out my friend had died. We had grown apart over the years, but he was the first friend I made in Flushing. We were three. I was never able to bring myself to message his folks condolences. I haven’t had to think of my own mortality and the imminent deaths of those I love often in my life. So, I reached out through interviews to animate my understanding of how everyone copes in a different way and for a different amount of time. I’ve witnessed how others address their grief for the rest of their life. I’ve learned how they’ve come to terms with the fact they can no longer make new memories with someone so important to them. I’ve listened to how they reflect on the legacy left behind.