Open to Hope Articles

Articles Home

Holiday Grief and Nutrition

Posted on December 18, 2014 - by Marguerite OConnor

The holidays are an opportunity to enjoy family, friends, food, drink and customs, as well as ethnic, religious and spiritual rituals. In addition to joyous experiences, like giving and receiving cards, gifts and donations, the holidays can also bring feelings of sadness, stress, disappointment, depression and loneliness to the surface, especially when we have experienced a loss. You may have heard of someone celebrating a “Blue Christmas.” These interfaith services are usually inclusive of all denominations and publicly acknowledge that not everyone is “happy” and that many people are mourning during this season. Historically, people wore black clothes or armbands, […]

Play Helps Lessen Grief

Posted on December 17, 2014 - by Jewel Sample

My grandson, Timothy, pulls his hood around his five-year-old face with the strings left dangling down his chest and his coat unzipped. A sock monkey droops its body half way out of the lime green backpack that bounces along the gravel driveway. Cold drizzle hit us in the face as we hurry to the car and strap our seat belts in place. “I see you have brought a new friend along,” I say. “What is your friend’s name?” “His name is Hiccup. He is visiting me for a whole week, and then I have to take him back to school, […]

Getting Through the Holidays: Include Your Deceased Loved One

Posted on December 16, 2014 - by Lora Mercado

Many of us who have lost a loved one dread the holiday season. This can be for many reasons. Maybe the death occurred around this time of year, or maybe the traditions that no longer take place, leave a void and a sadness in our hearts. No matter what the situation may be, everyone else appears happy and joyful, and those of us who are grieving feel empty and alone. To help ease the pain, think about things you can do to include your loved one into the upcoming season. Consider buying a special ornament to hang on the tree […]

Holiday Letter to a Young Widow

Posted on December 13, 2014 - by Tambre Leighn

Dearest Heart, This season reminds me of endings, but also of a December long ago that was a beginning. After one of the most challenging periods of Gary’s cancer and time at an alternative clinic, he returned looking much healthier. With both of us rested, we could breathe, share a beautiful Christmas, and re-embrace each other and our marriage. We were more in love than ever. It was also the beginning of the end. Sometimes, it’s best not to know. If the me that’s now thirteen Christmases without Gary could whisper in your ear, I would share some insights to […]

Seeking Support After a Child-Loss

Posted on December 11, 2014 - by Lora Mercado

After a loved one has passed on and the funeral is over, the cards stop coming in the mail and it feels like the rest of the world has moved on. For the newly bereaved, this can be the loneliest time of all. Many times family and friends will pull away because they feel uncomfortable seeing you cry. Others avoid talking about your loved one altogether, when that is all you want to do. Hearing the name of the one who has died can bring comfort to the bereaved. After my infant son died, I was completely immobilized with pain […]

Seven Ways to Survive the Holidays During Bereavement

Posted on December 9, 2014 - by Doris Jeanette

If you have recently lost a loved one, you may think your holidays are going to be painful, difficult and unbearable. However, facing the holidays alone for the first time does not have to depressing. When you get depressed, you are not allowing yourself to fully grieve and feel your emotions. If you look underneath the surface and seek meaning in your grief experience, you create rich, deep and meaningful holidays for yourself. Take each day as it comes. One step at a time. Learning how to stay with yourself in bereavement will lead to better mental and emotional health […]

Connecting to the First Christmas

Posted on December 9, 2014 - by Vicky Bates

No money down, no interest and nineteen months to pay, the holiday season is upon us. No other holiday brings up so much emotion as Christmas. There is a rise in alcoholism, abuse and depression. No wonder we feel the pain of the loss of our loved ones at this time. I think about the simple story of Christmas. How Mary, ready to give birth, rode on a donkey for days in the cold, while Joseph walked along side to get to a town for a census. When Mary and Joseph finally got to their destination, the town was filled […]

Wishing the Holidays Would Go On By

Posted on December 5, 2014 - by Neal Raisman

At least I don’t have to deal with Christmas. It must be terrible for those who used to rejoice in the holiday. One less present under the tree. One less diner at dinner. One less reason to go on. And everyone else happy and smiling. It’s Christmas. The happiest time of the year. Rejoice in the season. Or else.” Joy for them maybe. But not for us. Just a mean reminder of how much has been lost. How hollow the day is. And they want you to be happy. To join in and decorate the tree. Hang holly when you’d […]

What Bereaved Families Can Expect – Interview with Harriet Sarnoff Schiff

Posted on December 2, 2014 - by Gloria Horsley

HEALING THE GRIEVING HEART What Bereaved Families Can Expect As Time Goes On Host: Dr. Gloria Horsley With guest: Harriet Sarnoff Schiff June 16, 2005 Today I am much honored to have as my special guest international grief expert and author Harriet Sarnoff Schiff. Harriet Sarnoff Schiff is the author of two classic works on grieving, The Bereaved Parent and Living with Mourning. Her third book, How Did I Become my Parent’s Parent addresses the challenges of caring for elderly parents. Harriet is a licensed clinical social worker and former reporter for the Detroit News. She’s lectured throughout the United […]

Healing Through the Holidays

Posted on November 29, 2014 - by Sherry Cassedy

The holidays approach. “Holidays” meaning Thanksgiving, then Advent, Hannakah, Solstice, but ultimately Christmas, and then New Year’s. ‘Tis the season…to be jolly. Increasingly it is a commercialized, consumer event of trees and trimmings, treats and gifts—purchasing an experience of gaity, cheer, warmth, togetherness, presence. When absence is a constant companion, when loss is fresh and raw, when grief is weighty, how do we enter and navigate this season… to be jolly? Gratitude is almost always the answer to our most heartfelt urgent questions about grief. Gratitude offers a frame for finding a measure of solace within the season. Memories of […]