Acts of Omission: Grieving What Was Never There

Some forms of grief are loud and visible - the empty chair, the final goodbye, the unmistakable rupture of loss. Others are quieter. They take shape around absence rather than disappearance.

In this reflection, I explore the idea of “acts of omission” : the grief that arises not from something taken away, but from something that was never fully given. Drawing on The Florida Project, I consider how emotional neglect leaves an imprint that can echo into adulthood, particularly at moments of illness, caregiving, and death.

As a grief counsellor, I’m often interested in what remains unspoken - the quieter absences that shape how we love, how we mourn, and how we carry ourselves forward.

This reflection continues over on my Substack, where I share longer‑form writing on grief, loss, death, and the human experience.

You can read the full piece here: https://substack.com/@albertsobilo