First, I'm so sorry to hear about the passing of both of your parents. I'm lucky to still have both my mom and dad still here, so I won't begin to say I can imagine your pain. Second, I think that you are so right in the fact that when someone we love leaves this Earth, they take a piece of us with them.

I have moments of intense sadness anytime I think about certain loved ones that have passed. My maternal grandmother in particular. We were cut from the same cloth and her life had such an impact on me that even now, over 20 years since she died, I get misty eyed even thinking about her. I once read that grief is like the ocean in that the tide comes and goes. We have days we can look out at the ocean and see it for all of it's beauty, but other days we look at it as it's raging and it can almost overtake us on those days. That has been the best reference I've ever encountered when it comes to grief.

Thank you for reading, Sarah, I appreciate it!