What follows is a true account, which I (Stephen) was fortunate enough to witness firsthand in the spring of 2015.
My wife was an only child raised by a single mom, and as such was very close to her mother. Thus, when her mother died after 90 years my wife was severely grief stricken and would cry at the slightest reminder of her. This went on for about a year as she ignored advice to seek counselling.
Eventually I convinced her to attend a church-sponsored presentation on the grief process. As she listened, she continued to cry throughout the 30-minute presentation and filled a nearby trash bucket with endless wads of tissue paper. Based on this undeniable evidence of unresolved grief, she agreed to a meeting with the counselor.
In the very first meeting I asked if I should leave, and the counselor said, "You seem to be supporting your wife; if you agree to keep your mouth shut, you can stay." I am eternally grateful for that decision, as it enabled me to witness what happened next.
Shortly after a preliminary discussion about my wife's ongoing grief, the counselor asked the key question, "What are you afraid of?". After a significant pause, she answered, "My mother was always there for me and loved me like no other. My husband loves me, but not in the same way. So I feel there's a huge hole in my life which will never be filled."
Much to my surprise and immediate respect, the counselor said, “So let's ask God what to do about this." We all prayed silently for what seemed like an eternity to me, but was probably less than 30 seconds. When my wife stirred, the counselor asked her, "What did God say?" My wife said, "God said He would fill that hole".
And to this day I have never seen my wife cry over the loss of her mother. In subsequent discussion, she said "God has filled my life with even more love".