How Jews Mourn

Upon the death of a mutual friend, I spoke with a non-Jew who told me, a Jew, that, "according to Jewish law, you sit shiva for a week and then it's business as usual." In case you care, this is poppycock. When it comes to mourning, nobody does it like the Jews, and believe me, it takes a lot longer than a week:

"The Mourning period is successively less intense; many Jews (and non-Jews) view the Jewish process of mourning as psychologically wise. Its traditional elements are: shiva, seven days during which mourners are visited at home by family and community, and participate in prayer services held at home; sheloshim, the first 30 days of mourning, during which mourners return to their normal routine but refrain from many customary pleasurable activities; and, for those who have lost a parent, 11 months of aveilut (mourning), during which prayers for the dead are recited daily."