We feel a deep sorrow called grief, which is a response to loss that’s often triggered by the death of a loved one. However, grief isn’t limited to death alone. It can also arise from other significant forms of loss — the loss of a home, financial stability, a relationship, or even a sense of safety and certainty.

 

While some losses are tangible, others are harder to define-but no less painful. This is the grief of mourning something we never had. It might be the grief of an infertile woman or man mourning the children they will never biologically have, or the grief of an adoptee yearning for a connection with biological parents they never knew. It might also be the ache of never having had a loving or safe caregiver.

 

These types of losses are harder to define or express because they don’t leave behind something physical or concrete. Instead, they represent the absence of something deeply meaningful — something longed for, hoped for, or imagined.Intangible loss is still loss. And it deserves to be acknowledged and honoured.

 

Beneath the surface of that sorrow might be a longing for a sense of home, a lost part of one’s identity, or the unmet dream of becoming a parent.It’s important to recognise that while these losses may be invisible, they can deeply affect a person’s sense of self and belonging. The absence of something hoped for or deeply desired can be just as painful as any tangible loss — and it is okay to grieve that, too.