I've found that for the first few years after losing someone, I tend to get sad whenever I think of them, but after that, I just remember them fondly.
I'm not sure what exactly triggers the change, but with my dad, I just had a dream one morning where he and I were sitting in our family home having some ordinary conversation, and it didn't strike me as odd that he was still alive. I awoke with a really warm, peaceful feeling, like everything was as it should be, and after that there was no more grief.
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