"Wholesome Grief"...are the two words by St. Augustine that inspired this essay on grief and mourning; and more specifically, the wholesome and unwholesome nature of grief's emotions and mourning's behaviors. My personal interest was motivated by my curiosity regarding the wholesomeness of my emotions and behaviors associated with my wife Sue's death.
This essay is based on and inspired by the works of many secular writers, but the words of St. Augustine, Dr. Martin Luther and Holy Scripture are the most significant and meaningful.
The words "wholesome grief" (found in Book 7 of Confessions1) had nothing to do with death but were used by St. Augustine in describing his struggle to find God. Regardless, the two words raised a question in my mind. What are grief's unwholesome emotions and mourning's unwholesome behaviors? In addition, how is "wholesomeness" defined and how have my personal emotions and behaviors fit that definition?
