I had the opportunity to “virtually” visit the Lincoln Cottage Museum in Washington DC on Zoom with the virtual grief group.

The curator told us the story of Mary Todd Lincoln, all the grief she faced, and how she was judged harshly by society. In many ways, her unusual behavior could be explained by extreme grief. She lost 3 out of her 4 children, witnessed her husband being assassinated, and her own mother died when she was six. Society then and now struggles to understand and allow people to freely grieve.

The exhibit looks at the Lincoln’s grief along with modern families telling their stories of grief. Information on the exhibit can be found at this link. https://www.lincolncottage.org/exhibit/exhibit-on-grief/