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.

Articles Home

Open to hope

Adults Losing their Parents: Interview with Patricia Stauber, RN

Posted on August 4, 2014 - by Gloria Horsley

At the annual ADEC (Association of Death Education and Counseling) conference, I spoke with Patricia Stauber about the issues of losing a parent as an adult. This loss can be overlooked as it is expected that everyone’s parents will die eventually. Patricia has worked with adults who have lost a parent for many years. She’s now in private practice working with adults who have lost parents. In the video below, Patricia discusses the biggest issues facing adults who have lost parents and how to overcome them. Here are some key takeaways from the video: One of the biggest issues is […]

Read More
Playwright Taren Sterry

Playwright Taren Sterry Finding the Funny in Sadness

Posted on August 4, 2014 - by Nancy Gershman, LMSW

Taren Sterry is a comedic actress and playwright who also teaches improv, presentation coaching, public speaking and team building. She is a full time manager of Volunteer Training at Visiting Nurse Service of NY Hospice and Palliative Care. Her nationally acclaimed one-woman show, 180 Days, is about her first six months working in hospice. Visit Taren at www.tarensterry.com and www.180daysplay.com. Finding the funny when your option is profound sadness Restage awful memories as comedy to alter the past Everyone, even a sourpuss, can notice one positive thing Not even those in the business are immune from death Compassionate listening deepens any relationship Close mindedness isn’t permanent […]

Read More
Open to hope

Adolescents and Grief: Interview with Dr. Ken Doka

Posted on August 4, 2014 - by Gloria Horsley

At the annual ADEC (Association of Death Education and Counseling) conference, I spoke with Dr. Ken Doka about adolescents and grief. Adolescents have different issues when it comes to grief. Ken discusses these in detail in the video below. Here are some key takeaways from the video: Adolescents are in transition, and because they’re in transition, sometimes their grief isn’t recognized or acknowledged by others around them. Adolescents will often keep their grief hidden because they don’t like to appear different or needy; they would rather project independence and strength. Adolescents often grieve while they’re isolated and alone. A younger […]

Read More
Open to hope

Responding to Loss: Moving On, Moving Forward, Moving In

Posted on August 2, 2014 - by Lisa Irish

Perhaps you have heard the phrase, “Maybe it’s time to move on…” These words are actually offered as (presumed) words of comfort to grieving people! I still shake my head at the idea that this is said by a friend or family member to someone who is hurting. Move on…to me this suggests “moving away from” as in packing your bags and boxes and leaving. Or it suggests making a switch from one thing to another, as in “I don’t like that sushi restaurant, let’s try the new one down the street.” I don’t understand how one can “move on” […]

Read More
Open to hope

How to Receive Signs from Your Deceased Loved Ones

Posted on August 1, 2014 - by Karen Noe

Our deceased loved ones are not gone. They are able to be with us whenever they choose, and are even able to help and guide us throughout our lives. If you’d like to hear from them, all you need to do is to ask them to give you “without a doubt” signs to let you know they are with you. Then watch for these signals that let you know that they truly are around. They may come to you in dreams, send you unmistakable messages through the radio or on the license plates of cars that cut you off. They […]

Read More
Open to hope

Tips for Coping with Traumatic Loss

Posted on July 30, 2014 - by Ami Neiberger-Miller

ARLINGTON, Va. – Coping with the death of a loved one is never easy, but a sudden and traumatic loss can raise special concerns for the family members and friends left behind. Aviation tragedies, combat, homicide and other types of violent deaths can be particularly difficult. These deaths are unexpected and survivors must grapple with the knowledge that their loved ones experienced trauma. Founded by a military widow after her husband died in a plane crash, the nonprofit organization Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) assists bereaved military families. TAPS has assisted more than 50,000 people since 1994. More than […]

Read More
Open to hope

Traumatic Grief: Are You At-Risk for Post-Traumatic Stress

Posted on July 28, 2014 - by admin

Special article by Jill Harrington LaMorie, MSW, LCSW, DSW This article was first published in Volume 17 Issue 2 of TAPS Magazine. Reprinted with permission. Imagine driving down the street and crossing an intersection. You glance quickly left and right, but out of nowhere you are hit by an oncoming vehicle. The impact is painful, crushing, debilitating. It takes your breath away and spirals you out of control for what seems like an eternity. Spinning, spinning, spinning, you finally come to a stop and have the sudden realization that you have survived. Time stands still; everything around you is in […]

Read More
Open to hope

The Chauffeur’s Flower: Memories of an Early Loss

Posted on July 26, 2014 - by Lisa Irish

The day of my father’s funeral stands out in my mind. I remember blue sky and sunshine. It was six days after my eleventh birthday. At the end of the day, the chauffeur from the limousine handed me a carnation he had been wearing. I took it home, pressed it and always remembered the kindness of that moment in the midst of a big feeling of emptiness. My dad had been sick for a while. In fact, the Christmas before this July day, my mother announced “this would be Daddy’s last Christmas.” But that is a story for another time. […]

Read More
Open to hope

Colors of the Spirit: We Are All One in Grief

Posted on July 24, 2014 - by David Roberts

Embracing Sacred Law From July 11, 2014 through July 13,2014, I attended the 37th National Conference of The Compassionate Friends in Chicago, Illinois.I have been attending and presenting workshops for this great organization whose focus is to provide hope and support to families who have experienced the death of a child, since 2008. I always look forward to meeting old friends, making new ones ,and for the opportunity to share  teachings that I have discovered since the last conference. Since my daughter Jeannine’s death at age 18 of cancer, on 3/1/03, I have undergone a metamorphosis from an uncertain, pain […]

Read More
Open to hope

Grief Down Under: Australians React to Malaysia Airlines Crash with Compassion

Posted on July 24, 2014 - by Susan Reynolds

I arrived in Belgium on 9-11-01, a visitor in a foreign country during a tragically tumultuous time of loss and confusion. Last week, I awoke in Australia to another civilian disaster — the shooting down of the Malaysia Airlines plane — with the same ingredients linking global grief and sorrow. Outcries once again echoed across borders. The television reports in Australia were somber and as factual as possible. I was overwhelmed by the lack of “finger pointing” and their grieving words. This is a country of adventurers and mavericks. Traveling is in the genes of the Aussies, encouraged by the […]

Read More

Foundation

Get Involved

Resources

Copyright © 2026 Open to Hope