Comment by BenFranklin100

One thing that helped after losing a parent was the advice a close friend gave: you will never lose this grief, there will be days in the future where the feelings flood back and you feel just as bad as you do today. But those days will happen less often and be further spaced out as time goes by. And there will be more good days between those days as well.

I found the advice strangely comforting. Like many, I did not want to let go of the grief. In my grieving mind that would be tantamount to no longer caring. Knowing that the grief would never truly leave however, helped me move on. I’ve found the friend’s advice to be true. Like you, I was able to integrate the grief as part of a new life. The person lost has always remained a part of that new life.