1. Acceptance - "First, I had to accept this even happened," Burton says. "When a family member is murdered, it almost feels like a movie, like it couldn't be happening. It takes a while to accept reality." Once you do, he says you have to have room for tears, and give themselves time and space to mourn.

2. Forgiveness - "Forgiving someone who took your family away is very difficult to do, but what helped me is imagining what kind of pain this person must have been in to murder my family in cold blood," explains Burton. "My parents' murderer was someone's son. I had to have compassion for him in order to forgive him, but it took a lot of years to get to that point."

3. Appreciation - "Once you've gone through something like this and come out the other side, you develop a new appreciation for everything that is good in your life," he says. "You understand how fragile life can be, and how just waking up breathing is a gift."

4. Rise Above - "In my situation, I could either become a victim and let this tragic event define me, or I could rise above and be an example of what a human being can do in the face of adversity," Burton says. "The past only has as much power as you let it. Remember that all the cliches are true -- time heals all wounds, and this will make you stronger in the end. Once you have cried and grieved as much as you need to -- and that could take weeks, months, or years -- you can live your life as a testament to your mom, brother and nephew."

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Jennifer Hudson and her family during this tragic and difficult time. Do you have any words of advice for Jennifer or her sister Julia? Please comment below.