I have to say, Hound Dog, that is one of the down sides of getting older...losing people close to you. It's especially hard if you are not sure you will see them in Heaven.
Bluesman, count your blessings (several times) - go sit by the water (no, not in the bathtub, dude - river or stream
) - watch or go see a movie that is so funny you nearly hurt yourself laughing.
I got news good news for you, Blues. As the song says "When I leave I wanna go out like Elijah, with a whirlwind to fuel my chariot of fire. And when I look back on the stars, it'll be like a candlelight in Central Park. And it won't break my heart to say good-bye." When I get to Heaven, I am going to tackle God in a bear hug and He's going to look around at others there & explain "this is my daughter from Alabama" & they'll all say "oh, okay". HAHA