Dealing with grief, sadness. It’s normal to want to do something with the feeling, to get past it somehow.We buried my mother-in-law this week. Most important is to be truthful about the feeling, whatever its intensity. Let it wash over us, through times of pain and lighter times. Talking at the funeral home, there always seem to be moments of tears and moments of laughing.

In this way we allow grief to take its natural course, so we can come out healthy on the other side. Also evident how important is the presence of friends and family, because they restore the bonds of connection that feel broken at a time of such loss. Our loved ones remind us by their presence that many important relationships continue even while we are focused on the one just lost. Can you remember how meaningful it was to have friends nearby at a time of loss? We never forget the people who are there for us when we need them.