Each person's grief is as individual as your fingerprint. Unique to the person that you are. It is as rare as the love you shared with your loved ones and as distinct in the tragedy of losing them.
I did not realize the rules enforced on a griever until I was one. I had lost my grandparents when I was a young child, but losing a parent and a spouse was a very different grieving experience. My emotional pain and grieving process were as unique as my fingerprint.
*You need to keep busy
*You need to be strong
*You need to move on
Wait. What?!!!
So then you begin to internalize what your friends, family and society say, and you think that you should be coping differently, that you should not cry as much. Enough time has elapsed, and I should be feeling better.
My dear friend, this could not be more further from the truth.
Live your grief wholeheartedly, and embrace the process in how you mourn. Wherever you may be in the cycle of your grieving process, be patient and be gentle with yourself. However, you make it through this valley is just fine. Walk bravely carrying the memories of your loved one with you.