Open to Hope Articles

Articles Home

Signs From Above

Posted on September 17, 2011 - by Megan Prescott

It is my personal belief that when a person “passes away,” his or her spirit and essence continues to be very much alive. Following the deaths of three immediate family members, I became more than a little interested in theories of the afterlife. I read and watched everything I could find on the subject of near death experiences (NDEs), after-death communication, and people who claimed to talk to those who had passed on. It was my way of trying to get a handle on what my parents and brother might have experienced in their passing. It also gave me some […]

Guilty! Sister Comforted That Murderer is Confined Forever

Posted on September 16, 2011 - by Shirley Wiles-Dickinson

The trial for my sister’s murderer ended yesterday. It was a very intense week to say the least. The state rested about 3:30 pm. The case was turned over to the jury about 4 pm. We waited. I felt confident. I knew the prosecutors had done their very best. Still we waited. Finally, about 4 hours later, we were told the jury had reached a verdict. At that moment, I remember thinking, I hope they get it right. I hope they listened, I hope they reviewed their notes and the evidence. As the jury filed in, not one of them […]

Reaching Out to Those in Need

Posted on September 16, 2011 - by Mary Elizabeth Robinson

When I was young, my life’s calling was softly introduced to me. It may not have been a path I would have chosen as an adult or of my own desire, but it changed me and made me who I am today. I guess my mother’s illness and death deeply impacted my life. I never forgot the realm of devastation or the pain it caused me as my days unfolded without her. This strong inner impulse toward my purpose was the pure compassion. My heart ached for those who faced similar circumstances. I would reach out to people I knew […]

Grandmother Writes to Deceased Grandson on His Birthday

Posted on September 16, 2011 - by Sherry Van Pelt

Conner, today is your 1st birthday. It has been 12 months since your death and it hurts just as much today as it did then. Time has a way of helping you control your tears while around others but when alone, it is very easy to shed them. I miss you so much. I am only your grandmother; I can’t begin to imagine the pain that your mommy and daddy are going through. I came to work today but I shouldn’t have. I have been in the bathroom many times crying. The pain is so intense. Special days and holidays […]

Regaining the Bounce

Posted on September 15, 2011 - by Bobbi Emel

I played basketball when I was younger and occasionally even now, I enjoy going out and shooting some baskets. I love the feel of the leather and the springy sound of the ball as it hits the pavement and jumps into my waiting hands. If I haven’t played for awhile, though, sometimes I get the ball out of the garage, and when I push it down for that first eagerly-anticipated bounce, it produces a dull thud and lies there on the pavement. No air. The ball is totally flat. Life can be like that, too. Several years ago, after my […]

How Adult Children Can Cope While Caretaking Parents

Posted on September 14, 2011 - by James P. Krehbiel

We of the baby-boomer generation are feeling the pressure as we provide care for our elderly parents. It is painful as we helplessly watch our loved ones experience the impact of failing health. We feel powerless against the ravages of deteriorating health and mourn our losses as our parents begin the descent involving their incapacity to live independently. Children undergo the process of grieving as one’s parents move closer to the end of their lives. Family dynamics may shift. The process of grieving hopefully brings healing and closure to children who care-take for elderly parents. However, more typically, it takes […]

A Children and Grief Story

Posted on September 12, 2011 - by Sharon Greenlee

My gramma’s grief over the loss of her only child devoured me! To see and hear her wailing and knowing she couldn’t stop was heartbreaking and frightening. Her sadness, and my inability to do anything about it grieved me, possibly as much as the grief I felt for the loss of my mother. I was eleven years old and my mother and grandmother had always been my emotional haven. I felt totally alone! I recalled the words of my uncle on the night my mother died. His reminder that I must ‘be strong for my grandmother because now I was all […]

10 Years Later, 9/11 Memories are Razor Sharp

Posted on September 11, 2011 - by Sandy Fox

Today is the 10th anniversary of the terror attack on the World Trade Center. Our hearts go out even now to the thousands of people who died that day: children, husbands, wives, sisters, brothers and friends. So many people mourned, are still mourning and will never forget the worst terrorist act on American soil. I sincerely doubt whether any of us, whether involved or not, will forget what happened, and we will all remember what we were doing that day when our world changed forever. I had just flown into New Jersey 6 hours prior (we got in very late because […]

Living with an Unexpected Loss

Posted on September 10, 2011 - by Kent Koppelman

It is hard to accept the loss of a loved one after they have been a presence in your life for so many years, especially if they were young and you had expected them to be in your life for many more years to come. I have heard that people who have lost an arm or a leg say they can still feel the missing limb as though it were still attached. I had the same feeling about the loss of my child. For several months after his death, something would happen that would have interested Jason and I would […]

How to Support 9/11 Families

Posted on September 9, 2011 - by Ami Neiberger-Miller

The tenth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States is likely to stir emotions for the thousands of people in the United States who are grieving the deaths of a loved one who died during the attacks a decade ago. The anniversary also poses an emotional challenge for the families of those with loved ones who died in the Global War on Terror in Iraq or Afghanistan, many of whom enlisted in the military, in part, due to the 9/11 attacks. TAPS, the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, offers the following tips for those seeking […]