A mother, after all, is your entry into the world. She is the shell in which you divide and become a life. Waking up in a world without her is like waking up in a world without sky: unimaginable.

There is no single way of grieving. But research suggests that there are some broad similarities among grievers.

I was not raised with religion, and I had no faith before my mother died. On the other hand, when she died, I did not immediately feel she was "gone." I don't believe she is in something like heaven, but I also feel that we don't understand much about the nature of the universe. So I hold on to that uncertainty, at times.

Many grievers experience intense yearning or longing after a death - more than they experience, say, denial.

I live to collect information, and I am also a perfectionist.

Faith does help mourners survive their loss, some studies suggest; but I imagine one still struggles.

A mother, after all, is your entry into the world. She is the shell in which you divide and become a life. Waking up in a world without her is like waking up in a world without sky: unimaginable.