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Click on this post for recommended articles, radio shows and videos for those who are new to Open to Hope… Continue reading
Death of a Spouse
Welcome
Hello, I’m Michele Neff Hernandez. Welcome to the Open to Hope Spouse Loss resource page. I was 35 when my husband was hit and killed by a car while riding his bicycle. His death turned my world upside down. I didn’t know how to be a widow, and wish I’d had a checklist or a map that would tell me what to do with the rest of my life. As I learned to stand on my own two feet, I founded the Soaring Spirits Loss Foundation, to help others learn to live, to love, and to hope again.
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Dr. Coy Cross II: Caring For a Dying Wife | Open To Hope Radio
Dr. Coy Cross II is a retired historian with many published works to his credit, but his greatest achievement in life may be his role as a caregiver to his wife Carol, as she struggled with ovarian cancer. Coy’s book, Continue reading
Kyle Shelton: Dating and Remarriage After Spouse Loss | Open To Hope Radio
Kyle Shelton was born in Alabama and has lived in northeast or central Alabama most of his life. Kyle’s wife Kathy died suddenly due to a drug interaction. As a male in grief he struggled to express his emotions and Continue reading
Episode 2: Handling the Loss of a Spouse-Grief Relief TV | Open To Hope TV
Dr. Gloria and Dr. Heidi Horsley invite special guests to the taping of The Open to Hope Show, they discuss how they coped and went on to find hope after the loss of their spouse.
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Wanting to Date Again | Post
Dear Abel, I lost my wife three months ago after a tragic accident. This may sound crazy to most people but I feel like dating again. Is it normal for men to feel this way so soon after the death … Continue reading
Going with the Flow | Post
We’re all familiar with the different stages or phases in life – childhood to youth, youth to adulthood, and so on. Those stages could never happen if there wasn’t change ~ every day. Like a flower unfolding, each stage has … Continue reading
Remarriage Surprise: A Mother-in-Law | Post
On February 19, 2006, when Allan proposed to me at Hoff Jewelers at a mall in Maplewood, Minnesota, for some odd reason it never dawned on me that I’d be inheriting a mother-in-law too. I was 59 and Allan 60—youngsters … Continue reading
Dr. Coy Cross II: Caring For a Dying Wife | Open To Hope Radio
Dr. Coy Cross II is a retired historian with many published works to his credit, but his greatest achievement in life may be his role as a caregiver to his wife Carol, as she struggled with ovarian cancer. Coy’s book, … Continue reading
Want to Fast Forward Through Mother’s Day? | Post
Have you ever wished you had a huge remote and could fast-forward through something? A tedious conversation, or maybe the perky dental hygienist with a terrifying tray of metal weapons? I have. Mother’s Day isn’t supposed to be on that … Continue reading
Finding a Way to Laugh | Post
Several months after my husband died, something happened that caused me to laugh. I was surprised at how good it felt. It also surprised me when I thought about how long it had been since I had last laughed, so … Continue reading
Choosing to be Happy | Post
Life is full of choices. What we don’t always understand is that happiness is a choice, too. It seems strange that being happy would be a choice, but that is one of the things I learned when I was caught … Continue reading
Washing the Bones: Grieving a Spouse-Loss | Post
When I was first widowed, my overriding thought was that I couldn’t survive it, and I did not wish to. But the thought that I couldn’t go on without him was simply not true: it felt true, but it wasn’t. … Continue reading
Reflections on Letting Go | Post
Grief creeps into our lives in so many ways. Loved ones die, friends or family move away, children grow up and leave home, jobs change, pets die, a treasured possession becomes damaged or lost. And these are just some of … Continue reading
Searching for Meaning in Life | Post
Alone after the sudden death of my 54 year-old husband, I struggled to figure out who I was and where I was headed in life. Trying to find the “Diane” within, I reconnected with hobbies of the past and at … Continue reading
Don’t Turn the Deceased into Perfect Person | Post
After you lose someone you love very much, it is only natural to think about that person in a very positive way. But sometimes we can go too far, and if we do, we end up with unrealistic memories. I … Continue reading
Feeding the Soul through Solitude | Post
In my previous article, we talked about how, over time, loneliness can change into solitude. When we are in the throes of grief, solitude may not feel very comforting, and yet it is through solitude that we can find the … Continue reading
Suicide Leaves Mark on Those Left Behind | Post
To the casual observer, Mindy McCready’s recent suicide death reads like a bad country song. To those of us who have lived through some of what she experienced or are witness to in our work, it reads more like a … Continue reading
From ‘the Darkest Place,’ Discovery | Post
I think one of the strangest places that my journey of widowhood has taken me is this place of discovery. Discovery brought forth by the need to survive. This new place is definitely earned. I struggled to survive for so … Continue reading
Kyle Shelton: Dating and Remarriage After Spouse Loss | Open To Hope Radio
Kyle Shelton was born in Alabama and has lived in northeast or central Alabama most of his life. Kyle’s wife Kathy died suddenly due to a drug interaction. As a male in grief he struggled to express his emotions and … Continue reading
Take Spring Holiday Flowers to Cemetery | Post
Holidays are always hard for widows. We remember those who are missing, and miss them even more, regardless of how much time has passed. But there are ways to include them in the family celebrations — and then share some … Continue reading
Laura B. Hayden: Spouse Loss | Open To Hope Radio
Laura B. Hayden spent her childhood in Brooklyn, NY, and her teens in Enfield,CT, where she went on to teach. She and her husband were raising their daughter and son when she was widowed. Ten years later she began writing … Continue reading
In Grief, the Body Never Lies | Post
When I lost my husband so suddenly, I just kept going. That was what I thought I was supposed to do, so just like the bunny in that battery ad, I shifted into high gear and I didn’t stop. Of … Continue reading
Episode 2: Handling the Loss of a Spouse-Grief Relief TV | Open To Hope TV
Dr. Gloria and Dr. Heidi Horsley invite special guests to the taping of The Open to Hope Show, they discuss how they coped and went on to find hope after the loss of their spouse.
Ironman Experience Teaches Widow She Can Do Anything | Post
Anyone who observed my life would have declared it to be perfect, a life that would only be found in a love-story book or movie. I was 31 years old, I had a fulfilling career in information technology and telecommunications … Continue reading
Fighting Bitterness after the Loss of a Spouse | Post
After the loss of a spouse, you face so many emotional challenges. For me, one of the most difficult was fighting the bitterness I felt after my husband suddenly died. After the shock wore off, and I plummeted into a … Continue reading
Celebrate Valentine’s Day Everyday | Post
First posted by Women’s Voices for Change: www.womensvoicesforchange.org During our twenty-eight years of marriage, my husband and I celebrated Valentine’s Day in various ways. Many Valentine’s evenings involved an elegant dinner at a nice restaurant and flowers with messages like, … Continue reading
Sudden death | Topic
It takes us by surprise, life changing event to say the least but there is hope, a way to go on and truly flourish after the death of our beloved “everything”. I was widowed over 20 years ago at the … Continue reading
For a Widow, Valentine’s Day Evolves | Post
By Katy Hutchison – Over the years, my experience around Valentine’s Day has softened and shifted focus. The first year after my husband’s death I wanted to crawl in a hole the minute I saw that first red and pink … Continue reading
Husband’s Valentines Stir Warm Memories | Post
It’s one of those rare overcast days in Colorado and I’m working in my home office with nice music playing. I’ve been thinking about Valentine’s Day, realizing it will be here soon. On my walk today, I was remembering when … Continue reading