Open to Hope Articles

Articles Home

Teen Questions Reaction to Her Parent’s Death

Posted on February 18, 2013 - by Marty Tousley

Question from a reader: My dad died a little over two weeks ago. He was not sick. He was caught in an undercurrent and drowned. I did not witness it but I heard the stories and have been there enough to be able to picture it. He was not an amazing dad; he worked a lot to provide for us and that’s how he showed his love. I started school the Monday after it happened (he drowned on Friday and they found his body on Sunday). I am not crying that much. I can still have a good time. I […]

Seasonal Affective Disorder in the Workplace

Posted on February 18, 2013 - by Barbara Rubel

Is it difficult to get out of bed in the morning and go to work? Perhaps you can’t pinpoint why you feel the way you do, but something just does not feel right. You are not yourself and can’t understand why your mood has recently drastically changed. Dark winter months can cause a common disorder called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), otherwise known as seasonal depression that occurs at the same time every year. SAD is a type of depression that occurs in those between the ages of 20 and 40 with the main sufferers being women in their twenties and […]

My Grief Journey: The Truth and Nothing But The Truth

Posted on February 17, 2013 - by David Roberts

It Is What It Is I am a man who has been redefined by circumstances beyond my control. My process of redefinition started when my 18 -year- old daughter Jeannine died on 3/1/03 of a rare and aggressive form of cancer. If Jeannine were here now, she would tell me to not make her death a focal point of my change in perspective. However, it is what it is, and I can’t deny that my transformation as a human being began with her entry into eternal life. I am secure knowing that she continues to teach me in spirit, and […]

For a Widow, Valentine’s Day Evolves

Posted on February 17, 2013 - by Katy Hutchison

By Katy Hutchison — Over the years, my experience around Valentine’s Day has softened and shifted focus. The first year after my husband’s death I wanted to crawl in a hole the minute I saw that first red and pink heart-shaped display in the grocery store. On February 14th I didn’t answer my phone and avoided the efforts of well meaning friends and family to “get me through” the day. I had every reason to wallow in sadness; and I took the opportunity to feel the pain of my loss head-on. The next year, I managed to create a space […]

Poem: The Survivor

Posted on February 15, 2013 - by Brandi Reyna

Most days I am able to function Go through with my routine Get up and go and live life Just like you did Just like we did Find the beauty in life The beauty of each day And be thankful for all God has created I still think of you every day I still miss you I still wish you were here I still experience new situations and wonder what you would think about them Would you like this movie Would you like this city Would you enjoy this as much as I do Then I have days where it […]

Husband’s Valentines Stir Warm Memories

Posted on February 15, 2013 - by Sharon Greenlee

It’s one of those rare overcast days in Colorado and I’m working in my home office with nice music playing. I’ve been thinking about Valentine’s Day, realizing it will be here soon. On my walk today, I was remembering when I was a little girl and how I loved every single Valentine I received and truly believed each message was written just for me. As an elementary teacher, I saw young faces light up and smiles appear as each child would pore over every word of each valentine. They were probably thinking just what I used to think. “This was […]

A Caregiving Comparison

Posted on February 14, 2013 - by Cynthia Siegfried

“What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun.” Ecclesiastes: 1:9 Caring for aging parents is nothing new. Had we been privy to a family discussion in Bedrock, we might have heard a middle-aged Pebbles and Bambam discussing what was to be done with the widow Wilma who was found wandering the streets at three a.m.—minus her leopard skin. I am one of the thirteen million baby boomers caring for an aging parent. Although I’m not alone, the particulars of my situation may be somewhat […]

Writing to Heal: Notebook, Pen and Time to Remember

Posted on February 14, 2013 - by Beth Marshall

Losing someone close to your heart can be one of the toughest things you ever go through. With an important piece of your life puzzle missing, you may wonder if it will always hurt this badly. In an instant, a phone call changed my life forever. My mom was gone. The words “crushed in spirit” suddenly felt very real to me. Growing up in our big family was usually pretty awesome. We were definitely not the minivan family with the perfect honor student stick people; but our home was the place friends wanted to hang out on the weekends. Mom […]

The Power of Love During Grief

Posted on February 14, 2013 - by Jane Simington

A number of years ago, while attending the Trauma Recovery Certification training, a teacher who worked with troubled youth remarked that by the end of the year she wanted all the children to know that God loves them. In response, I invited her to ponder if a better intention might be that by the end of the year each child knew self-love. Working through my own grief, and being with many others who are grieving and traumatized, I have learned that following any tragedy the search to reclaim personal worth is immense. Crisis drives us inward there to discover the […]

Finding the Gift that Adversity Brings

Posted on February 14, 2013 - by Donna Miesbach

As unwelcome as adversity may be, it does shape and define us in ways that nothing else can. Life does have a way of presenting us with what we most need to learn when we most need to learn it. While these “lessons” may not come in a form we would welcome, almost always they prove to be our most important teachers. The good news is that nothing is ever wasted. All things do come bearing a gift, whether it seems like it at the time or not. It may take a while to find that gift, but it is […]