Very good point Emz - we are not wired to talk about sadness, yet this group is a clear sign of importance of being open and vulnerable.
I also agree with you, that only losing someone dear can teach us what grieving really means, and even then we comprehend this new reality differently.
One of my closest friends lost her father when she was 16, and I naturally leaned towards her looking for support when I lost my loved one. Surprisingly at the moment this is separating us, and I hope it's only temporary, it would be horrible to lose a friend on top of everything. It's been 20 years since her father's death and she is still numb to many things in life. She has learnt to be ok with everything, even if it doesn't really make her happy. She isn't really dealing with the deepest challenges, which is really sad, and at the same time quite hurtful to have such a numb response from the person I thought would understand my loss the best. I wish I could help her, and I'll do my very best.
Support is so important, but it's also very important to understand that nobody can help if we don't want to improve.
Sending you a lot of good energy and hugs xx