A 15-year marriage comes to an end in the summer, and even though the signs were there for some time, the finality is sudden. The parents and children are torn apart.

A 19-year-old’s dad, with whom the teen has had a troubled relationship, commits suicide shortly after the two spent time together in the spring. There is no resolution.

A wife or husband of decades – who also is a sibling, a parent, a grandparent – dies with family surrounding the bedside in autumn. S/he lived a full life, and it is peaceful.

Now the holiday season has arrived, the reality is creeping in that the loved one is gone and nothing will ever be the same. The desire to crawl under the covers and hibernate is nearly unbearable.

Regardless of the type of loss, one of the most important things to remember is you are not alone, experts say.

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