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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.

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Do Not Lose Hope In Dealing With Your Depression

Posted on March 9, 2013 - by Stan Popovich

 When your fears and depression have the best of you, it is easy to feel that things will not get any better. This is not true. There is much help available in today’s society and the best way to deal with your fears is to find effective ways to overcome them. As a result, here are some techniques a person can use to help manage their fears and anxieties. You never know when the answers you are looking for will come to your doorstep. Even if the thing that you are afraid of does happen, there are circumstances and factors […]

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How To Manage The Fear Of The Unknown

Posted on March 9, 2013 - by Stan Popovich

 All most everybody worries about what will happen in the future. The prospect of not knowing if something good or bad will happen to you in the near future can produce a lot of fear and anxiety. As a result, here is a list of techniques and suggestions on how to manage this fear of dealing with the unknown. Remember that no one can predict the future with one hundred percent certainty. Even if the thing that you are afraid of does happen there are circumstances and factors that you can’t predict which can be used to your advantage. For […]

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Ironman Experience Teaches Widow She Can Do Anything

Posted on March 8, 2013 - by Rachel Kodanaz

Anyone who observed my life would have declared it to be perfect, a life that would only be found in a love-story book or movie. I was 31 years old, I had a fulfilling career in information technology and telecommunications in a large corporation, and I was married to my first love. We both were very athletic, our beautiful daughter was two years old and we lived in a house full of love, laughter and happiness. What else could anyone ask for? It all changed on April 14, 1992, when I spoke to my husband at 5:20 p.m. and told […]

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Fighting Bitterness after the Loss of a Spouse

Posted on March 7, 2013 - by Melinda Richarz Lyons

After the loss of a spouse, you face so many emotional challenges. For me, one of the most difficult was fighting the bitterness I felt after my husband suddenly died. After the shock wore off, and I plummeted into a deep depression, I found myself in the anger stage. I would obsess over questions like, “Why did my husband have to die?” “Why did this happen to me?” Sid’s death planted some seeds of bitterness that began to sprout. I started to resent other people’s happiness as I only focused on what I didn’t have anymore. I felt so cheated […]

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Celebrate Valentine’s Day Everyday

Posted on March 6, 2013 - by Diane Dettmann

First posted by Women’s Voices for Change: www.womensvoicesforchange.org During our twenty-eight years of marriage, my husband and I celebrated Valentine’s Day in various ways. Many Valentine’s evenings involved an elegant dinner at a nice restaurant and flowers with messages like, “Diane, all of my love through all our years.” On Valentine’s Day in 1991, during my master’s program, I arrived home exhausted from my long evening in class. John greeted me at the door dressed in a partially buttoned tuxedo shirt and black dress slacks. After a hug and welcome home kiss, I followed him into the dining room. The […]

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Son’s Death a Nightmare That Ends In Hope

Posted on March 6, 2013 - by Marilyn Burns

I started my career in mental health over 30 years ago. I genuinely wanted to help people to feel better. I have many highlights in my career, and the one that I am most proud of was the building and directing of the holistic health center that I opened in 1996. This was significant for many reasons but most importantly, it was a future for my son, Christopher. Chris had hopes of getting a degree in social work and taking over my practice as I moved toward retirement. His hopes were to be a substance abuse counselor. My oldest son, […]

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The Promise of New Life

Posted on March 4, 2013 - by Donna Miesbach

A year after my husband died, I went out West to visit our Portland kids. While I was there, our son suggested we drive up into Washington State to see Mt. St. Helens. It had been four years since that final eruption and we were curious to see what it was like now. What we found was mind boggling. As far as we could see, there were trees stripped bare of their bark, lying neatly arranged like matchsticks on the sides of the mountains. As we came around a bend, we noticed a big sign and an overlook so we stopped. […]

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Loss of a Child is the Hardest Goodbye

Posted on March 4, 2013 - by Randah Hamadeh

I had always dreaded goodbyes, feared separating from my family all my life and was destined to face the hardest separation of all. Since the day I started going to boarding school, my only fear in life was separation as I went to boarding school at the age of six. At my first boarding school, I had my older sisters with me and two years later my younger brother joined the boys’ school and I was able to see him during school days as the young boys came daily to our school until grade 3. I remember that I spent […]

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Caregiving Strategy: Taking It Easy When I Can

Posted on March 4, 2013 - by Anne Hamilton

Since September, 2012, I have been writing a series of articles entitled, “A Forever Decision” based on my experience of losing my beloved dog Camilla. In October, I found that my Uncle Steve has terminal cancer. Uncle Steve is my favorite uncle and is one of the most important people in my life. I continued writing about coping with the grief of his impending loss, as well as day to day challenges involved in caring for him. The articles grew into a larger work of art. I hope that my writing will help others who visit the Open to Hope […]

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Anniversary Reactions and a Strange Week

Posted on March 2, 2013 - by Harriet Hodgson

February 23rd was the sixth anniversary of my daughter’s death.  A week before this day came, my mind was filled with memories of my daughter.  I remembered the sugar-free apple pies she baked for us.  I remembered how much fun she had with her twins.  I remembered her sitting on our living room floor, laughing uproariously, and slapping her knee. Some unhappy memories also came to mind and I accepted them.  “I’m going to be okay,” I told myself. But things weren’t okay and I kept making mistakes, silly mistakes I wouldn’t ordinarily make.  For example, I sent my graphic […]

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