Grief That Lingers in the Background
By Ama Al- Zaki
Grief doesn’t simply disappear. It doesn’t fade away like a distant memory or pass like a storm. Instead, it settles quietly inside us, waiting to resurface in the most ordinary moments, often when we least expect it.
Sometimes it comes as a scent carried on the breeze, a sound that stirs a memory, or an everyday object that suddenly feels heavy with meaning. These small reminders can hit like a wave, pulling us back to the moment we lost someone dear. The pain resurfaces sharply, like a wound reopening, even years later. It’s a raw and sudden ache that catches us off guard, reminding us that grief isn’t just a feeling, it’s an ongoing presence.
Grief also shows up in everyday routines, meals that once brought comfort, places we used to visit together, or familiar sights that now carry a bittersweet weight. Maybe it’s the empty seat at the dinner table or the quiet corner in a café where laughter used to bloom. These moments are reminders that the people we loved are no longer here, yet their presence lingers in the spaces around us, woven into the fabric of our daily lives.
It’s not just about what’s gone, it’s about what remains. Grief ties us to memories, to love, and to the shared human experience of loss. It is a quiet companion, sometimes heavy, sometimes soft, but always there in the background of our lives. It moves with us like a shadow, sometimes receding, sometimes pressing close.
Everyone who has lost someone knows this. The song that unexpectedly brings tears, the holiday that feels emptier than before, or the sudden rush of emotion triggered by a simple gesture, these are the silent ways grief speaks to us, reminding us that loss changes how we see the world and ourselves. It is personal and universal at once, a deeply individual journey that connects us all.
Living with grief means carrying both the pain of absence and the warmth of connection. It is proof that love was real and that loss runs deep. Even when someone leaves this world, their memory lives on inside us, shaping how we move forward. Sometimes grief feels like a weight that slows us down; other times, it becomes a strange source of strength, reminding us of the depth of our capacity to care.
Grief doesn’t leave us, but neither does love. And maybe, by carrying both, we find the strength to keep going, to honor what was and to live fully with what remains. It’s a delicate balance, a slow learning to live alongside what once seemed unbearable.
For anyone walking this path, it’s important to know that grief is not a problem to fix, It is a process without a timeline, a presence that ebbs and flows. Some days it will be barely noticeable; others, it will crash over you with unexpected force. Allow yourself to feel what comes without judgment. Grief is not a sign of weakness but a reflection of the love that shaped your life.
In the quiet moments, when grief lingers just beneath the surface, it carries with it the echo of all that was good, and the hope that in carrying it, we keep a part of those we’ve lost alive within us.
Author bio:
Ama Al-Zaki is an Irish writer whose work explores grief, healing, power, and digital culture. Her essays have appeared in Grief Digest, Village Magazine, Mad in Ireland, and other outlets. She has recently completed a memoir and is currently seeking publication.
Discover more about Ama and her work here: linktr.ee/Iamama2025
IG: ama_alzaki
Aug 12th 2025
