There comes with death a vacancy, an emptiness, even if that which dies is just an idea.

It is a profound adjustment to realize we have left behind what we so strenuously believed. It doesn't happen all at once. We begin to see the enormity of all that was attached to our beliefs and realize the only certainty in life is that it will all cease. Appropriately, grieving and mourning attend these realizations along with the other dutiful pall bearers--fear, anger, uncertainty, feeling alone. It requires the perspective of time and distance, but eventually we are able to move on, more fortunate than others who never will. That too is sad.

"There is no shame in not knowing; the shame lies in not finding out." ~ Russian Proverb