Grief

In  "The Bully Pulpit" Doris Goodwin reports two very disparate grief responses.  On February 14, 1884, both the mother and the beloved wife of Theodore Roosevelt died.  His wife, Alice, age 22, was the great love of his life.   He resolved to put her out of his mind, and never mentioned her again.  He burned old love letters, as well as pictures of them together.  He tried to wipe out every memory of her. Even in his personal writings, many years later, no mention is made of her.    The page from his diary is shown:http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/images/at0054.2s.jpg


In contrast to young Roosevelt,  when Abraham Lincoln's beloved son, Willie, died in 1862, Lincoln visited the grave many times, treasured the items Willie had given him, including pictures Willie  drew for him.  Small toys that belonged to Willie, Lincoln kept on the mantle, and would point them out to visitors. 


There are so many ways to grieve.