There’s no guidebook for grief. People on the outside can give support, but the real work happens inside. It’s hard enough when a relative dies at a ripe old age. But when someone we love is taken from us unexpectedly, and prematurely, the difficulty multiplies.

That’s exactly what happened to my guest this week, Lynn Thomas. Just as she was starting her business and a new romantic relationship, homicide took away someone she loved. It pushed Lynn out to the edge of mental stability. But while she was out there, she developed depths of compassion she says she might never have otherwise known.