The Many Colors of Grief

As much as there are different individuals, there are different forms of grief, and partly for this reason and many more, a death in the family sets loose a fearsome conflagration of contradictory forces and pressures. At the same time relations can tighten and strengthen in one way or at one place as people come together around a common tender loss, and then be rended apart at another as disagreements arise over shared meanings and resources. Given economic hardship and political trends in the US, things often tend toward the latter in many cases too. You see many a family torn asunder by fights over the estate.