Grief, what is it?

When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight. Kahlil Gibran

Grief is our reaction to the loss of a thing or person that has meant so much to us. We typically associate grief with the death of someone dear to us. But children can experience grief when they lose a pet, move house and lose contact with friends, or when their parents separate or divorce. Grief affects us all differently; there is no universal reaction to the experience of loss. Different people react to the same loss in different ways and one person may react differently to different losses. It is good to realise that the process of grieving is normal and appropriate after losing someone. It is a sign that the person we are separated from has touched our hearts. Our grief is a gesture of love to the person gone from our lives. And indeed it is a healthy response, although society may not always tell us that this is so.