How to deal with loss...

You don't. You never really accept it. You feign normality until it reaches the point where you completely and utterly shut and break down.

And then you rebuild. You break down those walls of depression and despair you've been building. You learn from it, you grow from it. But you never forget about it. It's constantly there, in the deepest corners of your mind and you live with it. You remember the good times and you do not let that sadness consume you. Because they're happy now. They're in a better place, and they're not in pain. And eventually you'll feel that happiness too because they've got their peace and the truth is they never left you. That person/s will always be in your heart and it's your duty to make them damn proud of you.

So you keep smiling, you keep living, you don't mope around and you live your life to the damn fullest. Travel the world, indulge in books, go sky diving. Live.