Grief

Mackenzie's best friend left Friday night. We knew it was coming, obviously, and Mackenzie spent as much time as possible with her before she left.

Still, once she left, the awful terribleness of it hit her like magma. She was, more or less, hanging in there when she was at her friend's house and watched her leave. When she came home, she was sniffling and sad but standing...until I walked in her room and just held my arms out to hold her.

She collapsed into my arms and just sobbed....she must have cried for 20 minutes or more, uncontrollably. After she was able, finally, even to catch her breath, I held her for another 20 minutes or more while she just cried and cried.....occasionally cracking out with "I can't believe she's gone".

God, it's so sad. It's like a death -- exactly like a death, really.

Her grief hit me pretty hard, too.....