Post-traumatic growth is the scientifically documented experience of being changed for the better — not in spite of grief, but because of it. Here’s what post-traumatic growth actually means, the 5 areas it appears in, and how bereaved people slowly grow around their loss.
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A crowd is the wrong place for a whisper. Sound there is measured in weight, not meaning. A whisper asks something else. For proximity. For stillness. For the small kindness of someone leaning in, of meeting a mild breeze. It does not compete. It waits. It listens for the quiet of a wave braking at ocean’s edge. In a crowd, it is mistaken for absence. But in the dark, when one person turns and another is already listening, it becomes a bridge— not loud enough to impress, only strong enough to cross. POEM GUIDE AND […]
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Our culture presents romantic love in the light of a “one and only.” The person you marry is usually considered the “one true love.” For some people, such a singular concept may be true. However, for people who lose a spouse much too soon, this romanticized idea of love may not be helpful. Widows and widowers may struggle with nagging feelings of disloyalty to their partner when they reach the point of wanting to meet new people or look for a new mate. Feelings of guilt when engaging with a new person can hinder our ability to create another loving […]
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I reread the rabbi’s eulogy from my beloved sister Jane’s funeral. He said, “There is no satisfactory answer to understanding why bad things happen to good people. Not all questions have answers. Unanswered “whys” are part of life. The way to face tragedy is with love. Use the love we had for Jane to forgive ourselves.” Focusing on his words helped me knock down roadblocks to forgive myself.” Forgiveness for me was not a quick fix, magic bullet, instant gratification, but a long, arduous triathlon. I needed to program my heart and mind in sync to forgive myself and […]
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The loneliness of grief is one of the most universal and least talked-about parts of bereavement. Even surrounded by people, you can feel utterly alone. Here are 7 compassionate ways to navigate grief loneliness and slowly build connection through the hardest season.
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Most mornings, the sun rises in grayscale, weighted between two gravities. I fasten the mask again— it’s thin, too thin— hoping it veils what flickers beneath. I’m tired of being praised for holding it together— as though silence is sainthood, as though endurance is free. I wonder, if the colors I see are the same as yours. Is my red the burn of a star too near, my blue a trench that swallows light? Are both tethered by forces I can’t unlearn, by concepts I have no words for? You see a calm ocean; I see depths […]
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After my son died, I did not lose the ability to speak. I could answer questions, describe what had happened, and walk someone through the sequence of events in a way that sounded complete. I could even say it plainly: I got a call from a stranger, three thousand miles away, telling me my son was dead. I sat in my office chair, frozen. That is not something I’ll forget. On the surface, nothing was wrong with my language. Words still worked for logistics—phone calls, explanations, the details people needed. I could confirm, clarify, repeat. But when it came to […]
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Father’s Day after loss can feel like a long, loud reminder of everything you no longer have. Whether you’re grieving your dad, your child, your partner, or another father figure, here are 8 compassionate, therapist-tested ways to cope with grief on Father’s Day, honor the man you loved, and find a quiet thread of hope on a tender day.
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Grief triggers are the unexpected reminders that knock you sideways months or years after a loss — a song on the radio, a familiar smell, a stranger’s phrase. Here’s why grief triggers happen, what to do when one ambushes you, and 8 ways to live alongside them.
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There is a phone booth in the middle of the desert in Joshua Tree. It was installed by Colin Campbell and Gail Lerner in honor of their two children, Ruby and Hart, who died in a 2019 car crash. It lives out there amid the tall cholla cacti and the wind that sweeps circles into the salt and sand. I have been thinking about this telephone lately, of how few spaces we have to offload our grief. In her book, Motherless Daughters: The Legacy of Loss, Hope Edelman offers a handful of events that she believes have the potential to change […]
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Open to Hope is an online community offering inspirational stories of loss, hope and recovery. We believe hope is the bridge between loss and recovery.
