Grief

"I wonder if that was how forgiveness budded, not with the fanfare of epiphany, but with pain gathering its things, packing up, and slipping away unannounced in the middle of the night."
--The Kite Runner

Heard this beautiful quote the other day. Though it's from a different context, I think of friends who have lost loved ones--unexpectedly--in the past few days. Two friends, who are parents, had their baby girl delivered stillborn over the weekend. Another friend, after hearing of the death of his mother (which was more timely, given her age), received news that his brother died just hours later while jogging. So our friend is going to Texas first to deal with his brother's family, and funeral, then on to St. Louis to attend his mom's.
Grief has no rules. It hits us all at one time or other. It's not just death that brings grief, of course, but these sudden ones are on my mind. Grief has its own time. Years ago, a poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay brought comfort to me. It begins: "Time does not bring relief: you all have lied." (from "Soliloquy"). This offers sustenance to those of us who think grief has an end. Not really. Life may go on in expected ways--doing laundry, running errands, perhaps remarrying after the death of a spouse--but there will always be pain. (While I do think there are healthy ways to grieve, in order to move on, I'm also not a fan of the concept of "closure." If you loved someone, that person will always be part of you.)
So to those of us who grieve: Take your time. Be patient. Cry. You don't have to meet a deadline in this.
Internet, what has helped you at such times?