I cannot thank Linda Chavez enough for her Sept. 3 column (“Putting a life in perspective,” Op-Ed). Friends and family members whom I had always thought of as level-headed and “solid” have spent hours watching report after TV report on what I can only imagine to be the same old information about Princess Diana.
Ms. Chavez is correct: The princess’ death is a tragedy to her close friends and family members. But prayers and flowers at the embassy? Perhaps my own perspective is somewhat tempered by the fact that, at age 42, I have already attended the funerals of my mother, father and youngest sister, all of whom died prematurely from illness. Perhaps I cannot relish the spectacle because I know what it is like to be overwhelmed with grief from real life–the life I have been given and am learning to treasure (dull and unglamorous as it is).
I thank God every day that my husband, son and other family members are alive and healthy. Grieve over Princess Diana? I don’t think so. My grief for her would be cheap, shallow, voyeuristic. Her two young sons deserve a deeper and more personal tribute to their mother.
