You're Not Alone: Coping With the Death of a Spouse

When is the right time for a widow to take off her wedding ring? "Whenever she's ready," say grief counselors in this moving and practical guide. Three women and two men talk about the loss of their spouses: the shock and denial which characterized the initial period, the vacillating feelings of anger and helplessness, the bouts of depression, and more mundane--and heartbreaking--matters, such as disposing of old clothes. Pam Reese, grief counselor, and Richard Guizar, hospice director, add helpful commentary, reminding viewers that grief is a process, not an event, and that it's a process precisely because people die, not love. In other words, our feelings continue, which is why we don't "get over" the death of a loved one, we "get through" the grieving process. Although the program occasionally strays into cliché (i.e., ‘there are as many different types of grief as there are people in the world'), the insights offered here will be useful to those in similar situations. It will remind them that they aren't alone, while not diminishing the importance of their individual grief one iota. Recommended. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)