I just found this post on Facebook, and it is really good:

[tblue37]

1. Excellent post. I believe that one never fully recovers from losing someone

precious. Even many years later there will be moments of overwhelming grief, though over time for most people they occur less frequently and don't last as long. They also eventually get balanced out by happier memories. Nevertheless, when they hit, they hit hard.

What lessens grief for most is actually just the business of living. Life occupies our time and our minds, so we don't dwell as much on our losses. But in quiet, unoccupied moments, the pain can return.

One way that this business of living distracts us from our grief is by filling our minds and our time with other precious relationships. That is why those who have a strong and wide net of social support weather loss better than those who don't. That is also why the worst thing one can do is to start avoiding a friend who has not yet managed to handle his or her grief.

I was not close to my mother, but when I returned to my home state after her funeral, I had to walk and walk and walk to deal with the loss. The first day back, I walked to our downtown because even though I am a bit of a recluse, I needed to be around people.

As I walked, I couldn't get over the fact that the world was going about its business, oblivious to the astonishing reality that the woman who brought me into this world no longer existed in it. I think someone who keeps talking about their grief with friends does so at least partly in response to a similar feeling.