Sorry for the long post, but I am desparate for any help:

An old friend that I used to work with lost his 17-yr. old son four months ago in an avalanche. Although i left the company several years ago, and haven't seen him since, we worked together for six years and we were extremely close and loved each other, although we never dated.

When I heard about his son's death I did a sketch portrait of his son as a gift and sent it to him. He sent an email thanking me but I still haven't seen him. I have emailed him several times with hope and encouragement and support. He has responded somewhat by posting poems and songs that relate to my emails and has sent a blessing to me, but he still seems to be keeping me at a distance. I've given him every opportunity to let me know if he doesn't want to hear from me and he seems to still want the support. But, I can't understand why he is having trouble seeing me again when he has tallking to other old friends. Is it possible that because I know his heart so well that he can't emotionally handle seeing me now? I miss him so much and just want to give him a hug. He knows how much I want to see him. I was thinking that maybe his heart is still too full of grief and pain and he hasn't got the energy to deal with the emotions involved with seeing me again.

If anyone can help me try to understand what this man is feeling and offer advice on how best to help him I would appreciate it so very much.

Celeste