W, so sorry about your friend. Losing Reba, my german shepherd, was one of the worst things I've ever gone through. Something that helped was from Chief Seattle, who, when the topic of death came up, said, "Did I say 'death?' There is no death. There is only a change of life."

I'm glad you have someone to grieve with. I used to go out and cry on the goats. They didn't mind a bit, and then we all ate carrots.