Last Friday I wrote about how to be a good friend to someone who has lost a child in the first few days and weeks after the loss. Thank you so much to those who left comments from their own experience with this agonizing grief. Every small detail can be huge in its impact. The central thing to understand about the grief for a child is that it doesn't ever vanish. Even the most severe edge of grief can linger far past what you might imagine.

All grief differs. The loss of a mate is different from the loss of a parent. And how grief does or doesn't get handled depends on the person who is bereaved. But one thing is certain - the death of a child is among the most agonizing of all grief events. Much has been written for the parents. But little is written about what to do or not do as a friend or family member when someone you know or love loses a child.