A powerful, heartfelt 2019 interview with late-night comedian Stephen Colbert and CNN host Anderson Cooper, where they shared their experiences with grief, continues to resonate. Colbert was just 10 years old and the youngest of 11 children when his dad and two brothers died in a plane crash. Similarly, Cooper’s father died when he was only 10 due to surgical complications. Cooper’s older brother later died by suicide. Years later, as Cooper struggled with the death of his mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, he said that the kindness others showed him at the time made him wish those compassionate gestures would last well beyond his period of mourning.

Both men say their lives are divided into the time before and after those tragic events. “Suddenly, all things are possible — both good and bad, and you never feel safe again,” said Cooper. Both expressed a sense of responsibility to care for their mothers. Colbert says, “My family says I raised mom,” noting that he started his career as a comedian to make her laugh.

Colbert has realized that everyone suffers in some way, and despite the tragedies, he is thankful for what they have taught him, saying, “You get awareness of other people’s loss, which allows you to connect with that person, and it helps you love more deeply. Knowing there isn’t another timeline, the bravest thing I can do is accept the world as it is with gratitude, loving what I most wish hadn’t happened, because existence is a gift, and with it comes suffering.”

For many, fall is a time of incredible beauty and reflection. Along with the wonder of the colors and cooler air comes an appreciation for life and living, along with a sense of foreboding about what the next season may bring. Painful life experiences eventually touch us all. Hopefully, we can learn, as Colbert has, to use those experiences to become more compassionate and to cherish the lives we have. See the entire interview at https://youtu.be/YB46h1koicQ?si=G-47MN9MQVHWYHTA.

Have a wonderful September. After all, summer isn’t quite over yet!