News Information and Media Site: Love Letter: Salmon, Loss and Motherhood

November 26, 2021

By Charanna Alexander

Rachel Stevens, the writer of this week's Modern Love essay, saw firsthand how female salmon die for their children during salmon spawning season in Seattle, but she didn't realize that it would be the first of many lessons in motherhood.

As she embarked on her own journey, she too would have to selflessly sacrifice herself many times for her daughter.

MODERN LOVE

"I have already died multiple times for my daughter, and I can only imagine how many times my own mother had to die for me."

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MORE MODERN LOVE

Do you have a story about a time you saw your parents or elders differently? Share your story with the Modern Love Podcast, and you might make it onto a future episode.

Getty Images

Do You Have a Story About Seeing Your Parent Differently?

The Modern Love Podcast wants to hear about a time your perception of your parent(s) changed.

Brian Rea

Modern Love

Tiny Love Stories: 'I Forced Cinderella to Scrub the Stage Floor'

Modern Love in miniature, featuring reader-submitted stories of no more than 100 words.

LOVE AND MARRIAGE

First Person: "My heart began to open, too, to a fact that my head knew all along: This was family, my family, our family."

Tim Coffey Photography

First Person

A Father-in-Law's Embrace, Not a Moment Too Soon

She wasn't who her in-laws expected their daughter to marry. But on the eve of her wedding, her father-in-law made it clear she was family.

By Nikkya Hargrove

Mani Crawford

Mini-Vows

After 'Mist,' They Saw Things Differently

An evening at Mist Harlem, a former restaurant and bar, propelled Walter Smith-Randolph and LeAnne Armstead's 12-year friendship into something more.

By Nina Reyes

Carlos Aviles

Mini-Vows

A Spontaneous Sedona Elopement

Holly Lorka and Melissa Shields decided to scrap their plans for a wedding ceremony in Austin and get married amid Arizona's red rocks instead.

By Jenny Block

Nicole Taufiq of P.Taufiq Photography

Mini-Vows

Getting It Right the Second Time Around

Aastha Wadhwa turned Neil Chitrao down the first time he asked her out. A few months later she realized how much she missed him.

By Emma Grillo

ASK THE EXPERTS

Here are some tips for dealing with meddling relatives.

Paola Saliby

'When Are You Getting Married?'

The holiday season can sometimes lead to uncomfortable quizzing from meddlesome friends and family members about when you and your partner plan to wed. Here's how to respond.

By Danielle Campoamor

Go-to-Gifts

8 Wedding Gifts Chefs Love to Give

From mushrooms in a box to bourbon-themed bike tours, here are some suggestions for brides and grooms who love to eat, drink and cook.

By Hilary Sheinbaum

Abbey Lossing

Plan a Trip, Skip the Tree: How Our Readers Get Through the Holidays After Loss

If you're struggling during the festive season, you're not alone.

By Hanna Ingber

Miguel Porlan

Social Q's

My Boyfriend's Parents Are Ignorant About Race. Why Should I Have to Teach Them?

A reader seeks advice on dealing with people who undermine her experience as a mixed-race woman.

By Philip Galanes

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ADVERTISMENT

We Could All Use a Jodi in Our Lives

Jodi Rodgers, who helps people with autism navigate the world of dating on the Netflix show "Love on the Spectrum," has some lessons for all of us.

By Valeriya Safronova

Laura Partain for The New York Times

For Those Who Feel Rejected by Family, Friendsgiving Can Be a Lifeline

For many L.G.B.T.Q. Americans, especially those with immigrant roots, traditional notions of Thanksgiving and family may not apply. The holiday offers another way to celebrate.

By Eric Kim

Alessandro Grassani for The New York Times

It's Never Too Late

It's Never Too Late to Pick Up Your Life and Move to Italy

Holly Herrmann vowed to move to Italy when she was 20. Her dream came true 38 years later.

By Alix Strauss

via Spark Studio

Move Over, Diamonds. These Bracelets Are Forever, Too.

Customers turn to welding machines to mark emotional bonds with physical ones.

By Hilary Sheinbaum

We want to hear from you.

We want to deliver content that truly matters to you and your feedback is helpful. Email your thoughts to loveletter@nytimes.com.

Also, here's how to submit a Modern Love essay or how to be featured in an Unhitched column. Don't feel like writing more than a tweet, an Instagram caption or a Facebook post? Consider submitting to Tiny Love Stories, which are no more than 100 words. Getting married? Here's how to submit your love story and news of your upcoming marriage.

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