Inner Dialogue

What do you say to someone who has just lost her 18 year old little brother and is facing the hardest thing she has ever had to deal with in her young life? One Friday they are hanging out together and the next she is at his funeral. I wanted to say something, but what I really wanted to do was just hug her. She's too far away for that, so this is what I managed to say.

Just close your eyes and focus on the good things. Let your mind take you to where he is and know that it is a good place. Breathe deeply and give yourself permission to feel whatever it is that you are feeling. Know that you can lean on the strength of others, even if they are not there with you, because you are surrounded by the love of many. You have great strength, my dear, and you will get through the hardest thing imaginable having learned lessons that will make your life, and the lives of those you touch, better for the experience.