Open to Hope Articles

Articles Home

The Blessing

Posted on February 14, 2017 - by Cheryl Espinosa-Jones

Not long before Joanne, my wife, died, she told me she expected me to love again. She said it would “not be right to waste all the lessons we’d learned,” and I was “too young” never to love again. When I replied that I couldn’t imagine any love ever being as good as ours, she replied, “maybe it will be better.” She was bedridden by then, disabled by multiple myeloma, and we spent most of our time in her room, talking, cuddling, and receiving visitors. This was after I’d taken a leave from my therapy practice so I had lots […]

10th Anniversary: Tears at Home Depot

Posted on February 14, 2017 - by Harriet Hodgson

The 10th anniversary of my daughter’s death is a few days away. I thought I was prepared for this anniversary, but I wasn’t. Instead, I have burst into tears several times. My daughter, mother of my twin grandchildren, died from the injuries she received in a car crash. Six months later he twins’ father died from the injuries he received in another crash. The court appointed my husband and me as the twins’ guardians. A few days before the anniversary of their mother’s death, the twins were going to celebrate their 25th birthdays, and receive their mother’s legacy. To mark the […]

This Valentine’s Day, Turn Your Loss into Valuing Yourself

Posted on February 11, 2017 - by Mary Joye

You may have been through a gauntlet of grief with your spouse or partner. Then along comes Valentine’s Day and it’s another hurdle. It’s hard to pick yourself up. Reframing this memory of being loved won’t be easy. It takes bravery and fortitude to find gratitude. The loss of that perfect someone you loved and still love may linger. You may or may not find someone again, but you can get past the pain and fearlessly look for love. Even if it is not the romantic kind, love is everywhere. if you are brave enough to you transform your […]

7 Dos and Don’ts to Help Someone Dealing With Loss

Posted on February 8, 2017 - by Maile Proctor

Losing a loved one is a devastating experience and something we would never wish on our best friend or our worst enemy. Unfortunately, loss is an inevitable part of life and something we will all deal with at one time or another. While loss is a common life experience, the healing process is unique to each individual and helping someone through this rough time is certainly not a one-size-fits-all experience. Most of us want to help someone who is grieving but we may not always know the best way to go about it. While the approach will vary based on […]

Are You Laughing With the Sinners or Crying With the Saints This Valentine’s Day?

Posted on February 5, 2017 - by Mary Jane Hurley Brant

Billy Joel likes laughing with the sinners. Me? I’m still deciding whether to join him. OK, I’ll admit that during grade school, going for brownie points with the good nuns kept me crying with the saints more than laughing with the sinners. And, come Feb. 14, I demonstrated complete loyalty by rejecting every other saint. Why waste time with second-rate saints when St. Valentine himself was purported to have the highest success rate in making the love connection? Ah, Valentine’s Day. Who could forget decorating those big cardboard boxes with white paper doilies and pink and red hearts? Who […]

Coping With Pregnancy Loss

Posted on February 5, 2017 - by Dr. Gloria and Dr. Heidi Horsley

Dr. Heidi Horsley has experienced miscarriages in her life, making this episode of The Grief Relief Show particularly close to her heart. Along with her mother and co-host, Dr. Gloria Horsley, they talk with Chandrama Anderson, MFT, and author of No U-Turn at Mercy Street: A Memoir and Resource Guide for Grieving Parents. Dr. David Adamson, MD, the Director of Fertility Physicians of Northern California and clinical professor at Stanford University’s School of Medicine also joins the show along with LCSW, Beth Jaeger-Skigen. A miscarriage loss is often disenfranchised, and that’s especially true in regards to the father as well […]

Who Am I Now that My Sisters Passed Away?

Posted on February 4, 2017 - by Judy Lipson

Who am I now that my sisters passed away? Not an easy question to answer. My life has evolved through many unpredicted punches, most powerfully by the loss of my treasured sisters Margie and Jane in their young adulthood. As I plow through my cobwebs and entanglements, searching for the core of the authentic middle girl sandwiched between Margie and Jane, I have lost my path numerous times and desperately needed to navigate the direction back home to myself. My independent streak allowed me to attend overnight camp for eight weeks at age nine, step on a big bus for […]

Valentines Day After the Loss of a Child

Posted on February 1, 2017 - by Dr. Gloria and Dr. Heidi Horsley

How can you heal after the loss of a child? This is the hot topic on a special webinar of the Open to Hope Foundation, featuring Drs. Gloria and Heidi Horsley interviewing Dr. Bob Baugher. He teaches grief and loss at Highline Community College, is an author at Open to Hope, and has also authored a number of books on grief, loss, and particularly child loss. Healing can be especially troubling on holidays, including Valentine’s Day. Deconstructing “behind the scenes” can help immensely. For example, Valentine’s Day is always associated with hearts, so asking yourself “Who do I hold in […]

You May Be Wandering, But You May Not Be Lost

Posted on January 31, 2017 - by Paul Coleman

In the aftermath of some great loss, we tend to move through our days as a wanderer in an unfamiliar place. Everything looks the same and yet–somehow it feels so different. How do we move on? When will life start to feel any semblance of normality? We go through the motions, placing one foot in front of the other, knowing we must trudge forward but–to where? To what life? In this phase, our close friends yearn for us to somehow re-boot our system and take life on with renewed purpose. And that seems unimaginable to us But it is precisely […]

A Candy Heart: When ‘Celebrating’ Doesn’t Seem Right

Posted on January 29, 2017 - by Neal Raisman

Valentine’s Day. Another day to feel my loss more deeply? Why do these celebrations continue to come up to remind me of my loss? To have others enjoy when I don’t seem to rise to the occasion. To send a Valentine’s Day card when I have lost my son? Can I celebrate the day and not betray his memory? Not cause extra grieving for for me. For him? Perhaps if we define the word celebrate, that might give me some answer. So what does it mean? Some of its meaning is to rejoice, to commemorate, to mark an event. What can […]