Dianne Deaton Vielhuber is a local author who grew up in Augusta. Her second book, Unraveling Together is a book about grief but it left me feeling gratitude and hope. Vielhuber asks the question “Does the world need another grief book?” After reading her book, my answer is a firm yes.
We need THIS grief book. This is not a book full of advice from psychologists; it is a conversation with an author who has experienced grief and is not afraid to share that experience. At times she speaks in extended metaphors of quilts and seeds. At other times, she gives us permission to sit with our grief rather than hiding it or trying to find a solution to make it disappear. And at still other points in the book, she discussed the concept of pain and joy existing at the same time. This book reaffirmed for me that the goal of grief is not to stop feeling pain. It is giving us permission to be aware of our heart’s pain so we can be kind to ourselves and have empathy for others.
I have had plenty to grieve in my lifetime: a marriage that ended in divorce, alcoholism that eventually led to recovery, cancer that resulted in a mastectomy and chemotherapy, the death of my 9-week-old grandson to SIDS, and the current anticipatory grief that comes with having a family member struggling with dementia. This book covered all of that and so much more
I recommend this book to anyone who is currently grieving, dealing with unresolved grief, or supporting a loved one who is grieving. You can read the book cover to cover or pick and choose what applies to you right now. I cannot guarantee that it will make you feel better immediately, but you will feel less alone. And you will leave the reading experience with tools you did not have when you opened the book.