Open to Hope Articles

Articles Home

Surviving the Isolation of Grief: A Mother’s Story

Posted on July 30, 2013 - by Maria Kubitz

I’ve never been a stranger to the isolation that comes from feeling like you just don’t fit into your surroundings. But I never felt as isolated in my whole life as I did after the death of my daughter. A History of Isolation As a child, I was a shy, introverted person and often felt different than the people around me. At the time, I never really knew why. While I didn’t like the feeling of isolation, I didn’t understand what caused it so it just became a fact of life. Over the years my shyness has lessened, but I […]

Signs from the Afterlife?

Posted on July 26, 2013 - by Annie Kagan

When I was a chiropractor in New York City, an essential part of my job was helping stressed-out patients to relax. Back pain is a vicious cycle. The pain causes tension and the tension intensifies the pain. Breaking the cycle with relaxation and a change of viewpoint helps the body heal. I never would have guessed that many years later, after giving up being a doctor and becoming a writer, I would find myself doing the same thing… helping people heal by changing their viewpoint. This time, the subject is not pain, but death. In certain Eastern and Native American […]

My Heart and Me: A Poem

Posted on July 25, 2013 - by Tarah Hipple

My heart and me Is all I need to be complete; I could try to stand But can’t Unless I know it’s for my heart and me. I couldn’t see With just me So I made sure I still had my heart To come along with me. My heart would have worn away long ago From the exhaustion of being on my sleeve But for me—it kept beating And for my heart—I kept breathing We were meant to be, My heart and me. And I can’t love without thee, My heart And my heart can’t circulate blood Without me It […]

Widows Suffer ‘Absence of Touch’

Posted on July 23, 2013 - by Melinda Richarz Lyons

Six weeks after my father died, I lost my fifty-six-year-old husband very suddenly. My mother and I have often discussed how sad and strange it was to be widowed at about the same time. Because of factors like our ages, some issues we faced were obviously very different. But Mother and I also found many similarities in our journeys through grief. Recently we were talking about the many challenges we have faced as widows, and how some linger. Mother said, “Your father has been gone seven years, but one of the hardest things for me to deal with even now […]

How Lory’s Place ‘Fills the Holes’ for Michigan Grievers

Posted on July 20, 2013 - by Marcy Blesy

“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose.” So goes the well known saying. Not a family goes unmarked by the loss of a loved one. Though time often lessens the pain, grief is a journey that lasts a lifetime. I lost both my father and mother at young ages, not anything my friends could understand. While other supportive family filled in the gaps that were missing no one but my sister could truly understand what I was feeling. And even she and I grieved uniquely. Southwest Michigan is truly fortunate to have a facility that […]

What We Can Learn From Angelina Jolie — About Suicide

Posted on July 18, 2013 - by Julie Barnes

I was reading Angelina’s op-ed piece in the New York Times, on her decision to have a double mastectomy to reduce her risk of breast cancer. The fact that she shared her story was both courageous and inspiring. Why did she want to share her story and not keep it private, a move that’s been called heroic by many? She knew that by stepping through any fear or stigma that surrounds the “C” word… she would not only inspire women to take action and be proactive with their health, but to also shed light about the genetic testing and the […]

Someday: A Poem

Posted on July 18, 2013 - by Tarah Hipple

I may have lost myself somewhere along the way But I’ll be back when the dawn breaks…someday. Along my journey I walked into too many caves And the darkness made me want my home And to come back someday. There were dragons to slay Horrific dragons—I was afraid But I slayed them And loudly whispered amens After praying to guide me back…someday. I witnessed a hungry lion And I fed him with guilt But the innocence inside of me Made me want to redeem myself someday. As I wandered astray I slowly found myself And wearily asked the Lord for […]

Grief Lesson: Life is Worth Fighting For

Posted on July 17, 2013 - by Brandi Reyna

“Be Bold. Amaze Yourself. Take Chances. Live Your Life With Determination. This Your Time. You only LIVE ONCE.” ~ Author Unknown One thing life has taught me is that: Life is worth fighting for. My new life is very different from the life I had when Greg was still here. My new normal is very different from the first few years after losing Greg. While there are still aspects of my old life that are still in my new normal, a lot of growth and healing took place for me to be where I am at now in life. I […]

Grief Requires Spiritual Attention

Posted on July 17, 2013 - by Donna Miesbach

Moments of crisis have a way of bringing our focus into stark relief. They get our attention. They force us to plumb our spiritual depths. They put on the brakes and make us look at what life is really all about. Perhaps it is not this way for everyone, but that is how it has been for me. My spiritual life and my working life have always walked hand in hand. Even though there were times when one was more in the forefront than the other, they have always been like two sides of a coin, but my husbands sudden […]

A Haunting Disturbance: A Poem

Posted on July 15, 2013 - by Tarah Hipple

Maybe I’ll always be tortured by loud noises The sudden silence after it echoes through the trees Maybe my skin will always develop goosebumps As I hear the little girl inside of me Soundlessly scream—no, no more—please. The emptiness that is momentarily formed in my heart Soon fills with dread From the conclusion of the beginning That plays like a horror movie inside my pounding head. Maybe my muscles will always tense When I hear a noise similar to what ended a living But if that’s the one more piece of evidence That proves my heart is still beating Though […]