“Grief, I’ve learned, is really just love. It’s all the love you want to give, but cannot. All that unspent love gathers up in the corners of your eyes, the lump in your throat, and in that hollow part of your chest. Grief is just love with no place to go,” explains American writer Jamie Anderson. The holy month of Ramadan is nothing short of special – the conviviality of family gatherings and the comfort of being surrounded by loved ones all around evoke a sense of belonging. Loss is often incomprehensible, even to the wisest of all. It’s alienating and lonely, heart wrenching and physically tiring. What’s true is – no one will ever be the same after loss. It shakes your understanding of life, but also deepenes it. “In Ramadan and holidays generally, people tend to experience nostalgic feelings. It is very common for people to re-experience sadness even if they have overcome the loss. Grief is a never ending emotional experience, and accepting someone’s loss, doesn’t necessarily mean the end of grief,” highlights Farida El Ghandour, Clinical Psychologist and Addiction Counselor at Exist Counseling Center and Heal…
