Abstract
This research was conducted to add to the understanding of the experiences of elderly, bereaved spouses in the rural South. During this study, data were gathered from 29 informants, many of whom were interviewed multiple times over several months. Data in the form of field notes and transcribed interviews were treated as texts and were subjected to hermeneutic analysis. The results explore the rhythm of grief as it is experienced in three stages over the months after a death; the rhythmic waves of grief, the cycles of sleeping and wakefulness, and the stages of sleep itself; how bereavement is spaced through the life span; and the way informants experienced and talked about the duration of their bereavement.