The Wintering Sessions: Remona Aly on breaking an engagement and the transformative force of grief
Hello,
While we take a rest over the summer, we’re sharing some remastered episodes from Season One, chosen by listeners.
In this episode, I speak to journalist and broadcaster Remona Aly about her life-changing decision to call off an engagement, and how it echoed through the years to teach her about forgiveness, faith and empathy.
This is such a special one for me - I went to school with Remona, and I think you can hear our joy at reconnecting after a couple of decades, and feeling so at home in the process. We cover all of human life here: buckle in.
References from this episode:
Other episodes you might enjoy:
Season 2: Zeba Talkhani on surviving online abuse
Warmest wishes,
Katherine
Note: this email includes affiliate links which means I will receive a small commission for any purchases made
From the transcript
Remona Aly:
... You can actually feel the heartbreaking. It's actually, actually feel the cracks, you felt the cracks. And I thought I knew pain. I thought I knew pain? And then, pain's just like, "Yeah? No, this is how it feels. This is how it can really feel."
Katherine May: That's life for you.
Remona Aly:
That is life. That really is.
Katherine May:
You don't know pain, lady. Yeah.
Remona Aly:
Yeah. And just watching how my friend and my sister just came out of that, and how they found the strength to come out of that, was extraordinary. And it gave me strength as well. It was kind of like a symbiotic kind of relationship going on. We were kind of, I was supporting, and then she was supporting me, and it was... yeah, it was extraordinary.
Katherine May: It's redemptive.
Remona Aly:
Extraordinary. This empathy of wintering is extraordinary.
Katherine May:
It's a wonderful thing. This has been the best conversation that I've had for years with anyone. I feel like I've got absolute chills. It's just so beautiful. And I just-
Remona Aly: Me too.
Katherine May:
... Yeah. It's really lovely. We could just sit here and have a little cry now, couldn't we, afterwards.
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All artwork by Iveta Vaicule
A beautiful conversation --- Thank you as ever.
Katherine, thank you to you and Remona for sharing your incredible conversation, and especially to you for having it remastered and re-released so it jumped into my consciousness. And I am so glad it did.
As a Brit who grew up in a Christian household and now living in Texas, I was interested in your comment along the lines of Americans cornering the market of spirituality. I think that's just a piece of clever PR on behalf of America! I live among people who assume that prayer and spirituality is only available to Christians. Indeed, that is what I largely assumed until an election and a pandemic came along, as well as the increased volume on stances over race, guns and abortion. Hurt and (perceived?) rejection lead me to leaving a church and eventually listening to the natural world and the wider conversation everyone else is having.
I'm learning to have gratitude for my Christian heritage, but my experience is all the richer for hearing spiritual experiences such as yours and Remona's.
I wish I could slip up to Maine for your workshop, but I will just have returned from dropping my son at his college dorm. Next time!