Grieving during a pandemic

I've lost count of how many times I have thought or said, 'These are strange times' during this pandemic...Never more so than when we are separated from a loved one before or after their passing.

The pandemic has meant that some of us haven't had the opportunity to farewell our loved ones properly after they pass away, or to be with them beforehand to say our goodbyes.

There have been three deaths in my family in less than 13 months. Each one has of course brought grief, with an added element of distance.

We attend funerals in masks, or remotely via video stream. Sometimes we grieve alone, at least physically. Burials are distanced.

Technology has been so important for closure and connection. It also helps us capture stories about and images of our loved one who has passed away.

Yet it is also difficult to be separated from our loved ones that remain behind with us. We are with each other in spirit and via technology, but we feel physically distanced, as are from our loved one who has passed away.

I've said before that there's no handbook for grief. The pandemic is proving that point.