Grief is very private. Public displays of grief are rare. Which doesn't
mean they are grieving any less than those who make strong emotions
outbursts. They do,
however, employ rituals of mourning and allow more structure for grief than do most
Americans. Grieving Amish families are rarely alone, typically receiving visitors daily
for two or three weeks, followed by a year’s worth of Sunday visits. As well, mourning
women dress in black when they are in public or social gatherings, which reminds others in the community of the death so they can respond appropriately to the bereaved. Occasionally, Amish experiencing loss find additional help outside their tradition through grief support centers in their communities. Nonetheless, a father who lost a daughter at Nickel Mines spoke for others when he said, “The best counseling happened when we parents got together and talked. That’s where we got our most support.”
But the Amish not only expressed grief in particular ways. Their understanding of grief is also distinctive.
Forgiveness is also an intrinsic part of how they grieve. For example, when the Amish School Shooting happened in 2006, the World Stood in Heart Stopping Shock when the Amish Forgave the Criminals easily! No one knew that this was how they grieve and the Amish were called hard hearted. This, however, is the furthest from the truth, from the real reason they forgave: "How can one except God to Forgive us if we can not forgive others?"
One Amish Women commented that "its seems that its harder for us to Grieve then it is for the Non-Amish folk because all they have to do is turn on the radio". Do you believe that its true?
