My sympathies. Yes, the void left by a loved one is one of the worst lingering parts. And you can’t really fill it. Like a burned out patch of land, it must be replaced by new growth. That takes time, but it does happen.

I remember struggling with that feeling, not knowing what to do with the gaping emptiness after my grandmother died. We were close, and at the end I was her caregiver. I remember saying something to my Dad along the lines … “it should take longer to put her things away”. Meaning the space her physical possessions occupied grossly mismatched the space she took up in my life.

She’s been gone nearly 20 years now. Looking back, that year was a pivotal moment in my life in ways I recognized as they were happening and ways I never could have imagined. It was a priceless gift of time and love.

Again, my deepest condolences. All my best for the road ahead.