It's no secret that I'm a huge history buff! So, when the two future father's in law had to skedaddle once the bridal shower started, we went on a tour of the William Bunnell house east of Winona. The upstairs of this home taught me something about the impact that grief had on this family. In one of the children's bedroom, there were two boys who died. One drown. In another room, there were two daughter's who died. One died from complications of diabetes. There was a third daughter that simply disappeared as there didn't seem to be any record of her.
The period actress who gave us the tour explained that this grief affected William Bunnell so much that when some came over to ask for one of their deceased son's he simply looked down at the floor unable to say anything at all. This was at a time in history that it was very commonplace for parents to lose a child, but I had this sense that the intense feelings associated with this loss were as devastating then as it is now.
I learned from this history tour that grief is very much a part of life. Unlike the era of William Bunnell, we have so much more information available to help us with navigating grief when it hits us.
One resource is a 13-week Griefshare group that teaches you how to go through the pain of loss, not around it. I encourage everyone experiencing the pain of grief to go to https://www.griefshare.org/ and find a group near you.
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