Grief is the most profound state of heartbreak. Because the loved one is no longer there, they are gone, and memories become elusive and capricious. That's why their clothes and shoes should stay untouched in the closet, just as they were before leaving. Closets don't empty themselves. This speaks of loss, loneliness, fear, hope, and the way each human being faces that pivotal moment in life. Though capable, as we are, of burying or cremating a loved one, we nevertheless do not know how to begin emptying a closet. We intuit that the day it is empty, our hearts will truly begin the process of normalizing absence.