What I carry from him, like coins in my pocket against the poverty of his loss, is an understanding that all any of us has is whatever is left of the day. And I make the most of it, hay while the sun shines, and I raise a toast to life.

In the aftermath, it is important to remember that our grief is as unique as our fingerprints. Each of us will have our own normal reactions to the abnormal events that we have just witnessed.

By opening to his own grief instead of armoring himself with anger, Justin was finally able to start the healing process. His grief had never gone away; it had just been hidden. Once he was willing to open to it and feel it, his own sorrow could show him the way home to peace.

Whether grieving the loss of our own life, or another's, we each have the capacity to see past the veils of separation. If our hearts are willing, grieving becomes the gateway to loving awareness, the entry into our own awakened nature.

When you lose your loved one, you must break apart and individuate again. That process can be extremely difficult if the bonding has been strong and enduring.

This afternoon, my dog will leave this world in my arms without pain, with my lipstick kiss on her mature Maltese mane. Tonight, when it is late and dark and time to sleep, I will feel her presence beside me.

These were the people who shaped lives, who shaped my life. They weren't famous enough to get an obituary in the big newspapers. But they were the people who cared, who gave me moments each day that I looked forward to.

The thing about someone who was a key part of your life is that even when they leave it, even after years pass, they still are -- just from a different place. I still want to hear my dad's voice, but I will accept hearing it in dreams, or seeing it in snowfall, or smelling it in good food.

Our relationship was complete. There were no axes to grind or unfinished business. No unspoken affections or apologies to make.

Death is not the story's title. And death is not the chapter's close. It's what is done in the face of death that makes the tale worth reading.

We are angels on earth who touch and are touched. In a time of darkness, we can be the vehicle for light. Intuitively, every one of us wants to leave the world a better and brighter place. Those that died last week live in us and through us.

All of us still living can learn from my mother. Mom offered a stellar example of how best to leave this earth: The secret to dying well is to seize the moment with courage and determination and to squeeze as much joy, fun and deliciousness as you can while doing what you most love.

When situations or people challenge us, we need to identify that we're angry, confused, or frustrated. If we acknowledge that we're likely to make poor decisions in these states, it's easier to find the motivation to let these emotions go.

In a situation like this, it can be so hard to know what to do. Lacking other practical options, and having no way to protect those who have already been harmed, it can be easy to be overtaken by intense anger and other destructive emotional states.