Open to Hope Articles

Do you want to read stories of others who have been where you are? Are you looking for bereavement help, and advice? Look no further. We offer over 7,000 articles written by our Open to Hope authors.

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Is There Such a Thing as Closure After a Loss?

Posted on April 19, 2017 - by Dr. Gloria and Dr. Heidi Horsley

Drs. Gloria and Heidi Horsley with the Open to Hope Foundation discuss continuing bonds and closure after loss. At 17 years old, Heidi’s brother Scott was killed in a car accident. Everyone told her and her mother that they would “get over it” eventually and find closure. Know that closure isn’t for love accounts—it’s for bank accounts. You can and should get over the suffering, but getting over the loss can feel like erasing someone from your life. Instead, you can transform your grief into actions that can positively change the world. The mother-daughter team created the Open to Hope […]

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Suffering a Loss Yet to Come

Posted on April 19, 2017 - by Carla J Vagnini

My father’s wife of 30 years passed away in November 2014. Prior to her passing, he was her caretaker in all senses of the word, even to the extent that he was neglecting himself.  We knew while he was taking care of her that something was happening with his cognition, but he was a wonderful, loving caretaker and soldiered on, only focusing on her. After she passed away and his mission was over, he seemed so lost in loneliness and alone in his thoughts.  Thankfully, he wanted to move 700 miles from Alabama to Virginia near me and my husband.  […]

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Webinar: Healing After a Fatal Car Accident

Posted on April 19, 2017 - by Dr. Gloria and Dr. Heidi Horsley

The Compassionate Friends, the Open to Hope Foundation, and Carl McDonald, the National Law Enforcement Initiatives Manager for MADD, offer a special webinar on grieving after losing a child due to a driving under the influence (DUI) incident. Drs. Heidi and Gloria Horsley, the hosts, lost a loved one to a DUI crash—Gloria’s son and Heidi’s brother, Scott, was killed in a car crash. They met McDonald at The Compassionate Friends years ago, and were inspired by his ability to find hope after losing his daughter. McDonald’s ex-wife was an alcoholic, and that was the primary cause of their divorce. […]

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Finding God in Daily Life

Posted on April 5, 2017 - by Charles W. Sidoti

God isn’t removed from us, sitting on some throne up in heaven somewhere. The “universal creative life energy” is found within the created world, within life’s natural cycles. From womb to tomb, our lives are fundamentally affected by the cycles and rhythm of life. The beat of our hearts and our breathing, without which nothing else would matter, are examples of our inseparable connection to life’s rhythm. The cycles at work in the world are easy to see. For instance, every day the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, marking the start and end of each new day, a […]

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A Young Widower’s Marathon, Part 2: Healing, Resilience and Dating

Posted on April 4, 2017 - by Michelle Jarvie

Andy Guice’s life forever changed when he met his wife. She uplifted and encouraged him in ways he’d never known. Then she underwent three rounds of chemotherapy for ovarian cancer and suffered a terrible death during just before their third wedding anniversary. He was 31 years old. The first part of this interview series covered her illness and the many difficult months following her death. Months that held suicidal ideation and intensive therapy. The remainder of his interview now follows, revealing wisdom and hope that have changed him once again. JARVIE: What truths about life have you learned from your […]

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A Young Widower’s Marathon, Part 1: Cancer and its Aftermath

Posted on April 2, 2017 - by Michelle Jarvie

The night of April 21, 2016, I opened my email and saw the following subject: “My dentist, Melanie, gave me your name as a fellow griever…” I thought back to my last cleaning and kind dentist who always remembered and asked about my journey. As I clicked on Andy Guice’s name and began to read his message, unveiling the heartbreak of cancer and young widowhood, I most recognized the plea to not feel alone. I stayed up late that night, meditating on his words and what I could offer in return. I was 23 when my husband was killed on […]

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Open to Hope Television Wins Prestigious WAVE Award

Posted on March 21, 2017 - by Gloria Horsley

We are pleased to announce that our Open to Hope television show Returning to Work After Loss has won a 2017 Western Access Video Excellence (WAVE). Through Public Access and its dedicated team of volunteers, we have been able to produce shows that help people find hope after loss and give a voice to grief and recovery. We started hosting Open to Hope radio programs ten years ago, but could not link into television. Producers were not interested in grief and loss even though our mission is really about hope and healing. Thus, we were excited in 2013 when we […]

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5 Tips to Cope With Grief After Divorce

Posted on March 17, 2017 - by Maile Proctor

When you lose a spouse, there’s an inevitable grieving period which is accompanied by a roller coaster of emotions. When you think of this grieving process, you probably associate it with loss due to illness or tragedy, but what about divorce? When partners divorce, there’s still a grieving process that goes along with the split. Divorcees need their friends and a support network just as much as a widower. There’s still sadness, anger, denial, confusion and strong emotions. Here, we’ll look at the similarities and differences between the two types of loss so you’re better equipped to deal with your […]

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grief candles

Seven Years Later, the Grief Lingers

Posted on March 9, 2017 - by Brandi Reyna

7 years seems like such a long time, yet it also seems like such a small amount of time as well. 7 years full of birthdays, holidays, weddings, birth of nieces and nephews, beginnings and endings of friendships, and cross country moves. March 9th is the 7th anniversary of my beloved Greg being with Jesus. I wish I could say that loss gets easier as time passes. Truthfully, the grief just gets different. Life goes on and I have just learned to live without Greg being physically present in my life. I have a full time job and a part […]

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Family First at Facebook: Company Offers Groundbreaking Bereavement Policy

Posted on March 8, 2017 - by Gloria Horsley

The world watched Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg deal with her own grief process when she lost her husband in May 2015. Like anyone who loses a loved one, she needed time to be with her family and go through the healing process. It’s a human need that more companies are finally starting to understand doesn’t just fix itself overnight. And, Facebook is a company that is setting a precedent with its new bereavement policy just as Netflix did with its parental leave policy. A Heart for Workers Yes, it turns out that organizations really do have a heart when it […]

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