08/05/2025
Grief doesn’t just change your heart—it can change your relationships, too. When someone you love dies, you expect to be surrounded by support. But sometimes, the opposite happens. Friends you thought would stand by you quietly fade away. Calls and messages stop. Invitations dry up. Your address book, once filled with familiar names, suddenly feels emptier.It’s a painful surprise. The weight of your grief may have been too much for some friends to carry. Maybe they didn’t know what to say. Maybe your sadness made them uncomfortable, or reminded them of their own fears. Sometimes, people disappear not because of anything you did, but because of their own limitations.This loss on top of loss can hurt deeply. It’s easy to wonder if you did something wrong, or if your grief is “too much.” But the truth is, it’s often about them—not you. Their absence is a reflection of their discomfort, their misunderstanding of what it means to grieve.Still, even as some friendships slip away, others reveal themselves in new and beautiful ways. The friends who stay, who show up, who listen without judgment—these are the ones who offer real comfort and courage. They may not always have the right words, but their presence is a balm. In the aftermath of loss, you learn who your true companions are. And while the pain of disappearing friends is real, the love of those who remain can be a quiet, steady light in the darkness.