Kafka's Doll - Processing Grief

The following is a summary of an often-told story that offers a valuable perspective on how we might regard grief. Hope you enjoy it.

Fred Colby, Author

The famous writer, Franz Kafka, once encountered a little girl in the park where he went walking daily. She was crying. She had lost her doll and was desolate.

Kafka offered to help her look for the doll and arranged to meet her the next day at the same spot. Unable to find the doll he composed a letter from the doll and read it to her when they met.

“Please do not mourn me, I have gone on a trip to see the world. I will write to you of my adventures.”

This was the beginning of many letters. When he and the little girl met, he read to her from these carefully composed letters of the imagined adventures of the beloved doll. The little girl was comforted.

When the meetings came to an end Kafka presented her with a doll. She obviously looked different from the original doll. An attached letter explained: “my travels have changed me… “

The little girl hugged the new doll and brought the doll with her to her happy home.

A year later Kafka died...

Years later, the now-adult girl found a letter inside the doll. In the tiny letter signed by Kafka it was written:

"Everything you love will probably be lost, but in the end, love will return in another way."

Kafka’s message encourages us to embrace change. It's inevitable for growth. Together we can shift pain into wonder and love, but it is up to us to consciously and intentionally create that connection. *

I hope this story, my holiday present to everyone, resonates for you.

 This story has been told and retold many times over the years. The original storyteller is believed to be Dora Diamant, Kafka's companion in Berlin.

© Copyright 2026 Fred Colby

All rights reserved

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Fred Colby is the author of:

Widower to Widower - available through most booksellers and libraries.

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