As the weather in the Northern Hemisphere hits the deep, dark cold of winter, it's not surprising that our thoughts turn somber. As we walk landscapes lined with skeletal trees, we think about endings; we grapple with our mortality.

This issue examines the subject of mortality from a variety of angles: from the perspective of those grieving loved ones, such as in "My Search for Life After Death" by Raghbir Dhillon, "A Healing Story" by Mark Joseph Kiewlak or the poem "All That Remains" by Jeannine Pitas. Taken to a humorous degree, Shaylen Maxwell explores the effects of fearing death too much, in "The Cat, Ebola and a Shoebox Coffin."

In this issue, as well, are life-affirming stories about what it means to be human, to live this mortal life, from appreciating grandchildren, as in Wayne Scheer's "One Day Down, Three to Go" or finding redemption through a pet, in Amy Barone's poem, "Felid Score."

May those who are grieving find solace and comfort in this issue, and may all others discover insights into what it means to live on this mortal coil.

Alyce Wilson, Wild Violet editor