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Grieving With Help After My Son’s Suicide

Posted on March 20, 2011 - by Jean Williams

We were not left alone after our son, Joshua, died by suicide. People from across the states took the time to listen and some cried with us. It would take pages to mention them by name, but because of who he was to Joshua, I’ll chose one. After Joshua’s memorial, when the hall emptied out and the doors locked, Dana, Joshua’s childhood friend, stood with my husband and me and asked questions. “Why do you think Joshua did this? What was his frame of mind like before it happened?” And other such inquiries. What Dana did from then on was stay […]

My brother

Posted on March 19, 2011 - by admin

My brother was taken from me in 2010. I am finding it difficult coming to terms with never seeing him or hearing his voice again. I try to hide my grief and upset from those around me but when I am on my own I cry as i think about all the times we spent together and what he will miss out on in the years to come. People say that time heals but at the moment I dont believe that anything will make this easier for me. Nothing will ever be the same again for me – any happy […]

In Barrens of Grief, Hope Still Blooms

Posted on March 19, 2011 - by John French

Losing a child is like falling into a fathomless pit, a deep well of sorrow that leaves an enormous void in the center of life. One moment, you are on top of the world, an instant later you are plummeting into the deepest depths of despair. Tumbling like a stone into utter desolation. Where sorrow pours out in a cascade of memories and mixes with the deluge of tears. The pressures are immense, and the solitude is unbearable. Since my son Brandon’s death in August of 2009, I have been struggling to pull myself out of this dreadful hollow. But, […]

Dad took his own life

Posted on March 18, 2011 - by admin

I grew up basically alone with my daddy. We didnt have much but man did i idolise him! He was my hero, my safety net and my protector. He was all I actually had as I was not close with my 2 sisters because of the huge age gap between us and my mother was not a factor in our lives. However throughout my growing years my dad suffered seriously from depression. One day he would be on top of the world and the next down in the dumps. but i still loved everything about him! when i turned 15 […]

OTH Writer Challenges Time Magazine Article on Grief

Posted on March 18, 2011 - by Suzy Yehl Marta

Recently, TIME magazine published an article, “New Ways to Think About Grief,” by Ruth Davis Konigsberg and it listed several myths on grief. Open to Hope contributing writer Suzy Yehl Marta, founder of Rainbows For All Children, wrote a letter to the editor, copied here: Dear Ruth, Thank you for your recent article, “New Ways to Think About Grief” on Jan. 29. I know you write frequently and in depth on grief, including in your blog and book, The Truth About Grief. Because you touch so many hearts and minds on this topic, I would love the opportunity to share […]

Accepting Change Can Bring Peace

Posted on March 18, 2011 - by Mary Jane Hurley Brant

In my younger days, I was naive enough to think I could control change. I’ve learned, but not quickly enough, that no one can control or stop change. And, here is an interesting little fact: Charles Darwin believed that those people who survive are the ones who can adapt to ongoing change. That thought of survival brings me to today’s topic of change and how to understand it a little better. First, that things will change is predictable and inevitable. Think of those individuals you know who, despite painful adversity, have been able to go on even after their world […]

mum killed by a brick wall

Posted on March 17, 2011 - by admin

on the 1st Feb this year my mum was at home gardening on a week off from work, a solid brick wall from an out building just fell on her and crushed her to death, my dad came home from work and found her, she had been there around 4hours we think, there is an inquest. i dont think i am grieving, think i am atill in shock, just cant beleive it, i am 23 and mum was only 51, anyone out there who can talk? thanks

Workplace Grief: Listening to the Griever

Posted on March 17, 2011 - by Deb Kosmer

Helping hurting employees can be complicated, challenging, and confusing, especially when the employee’s needs and reactions change from one day to the next. Grieving people are often unsure what they want from others, which complicates things further. Just as there is no rulebook as to the length and pattern of grief, there is no right way to respond, no checklist of solutions to provide needed assistance. It is important to remember that grief is not a cloak someone can take off when they walk out the door. It accompanies a person wherever he or she goes, which by necessity includes […]

For Men: Living a Regret-Free Life After Loss

Posted on March 17, 2011 - by Ron Villano

Hands down, the strongest, most destructive part of grief is regret. That ever-present feeling that you could have done more. Regret can become so strong that everything else about life gets tossed aside. It is exactly what happened to me. The night before I lost my 17-year old son, Michael, in an auto accident, he had come over from his mother’s house to get something from my house. He was outside in the driveway playing basketball with my oldest son, Ronald. I looked down from the window upstairs and watched them for a few minutes. He didn’t see me. I […]

The Response of the Human Spirit to Loss

Posted on March 16, 2011 - by Jane Simington

When we experience significant loss, every aspect of our humanness responds in agony. As the initial physical effects dissipate, they leave in their wake an accumulation of emotional and spiritual responses to the loss. Some of these responses begin to appear only over time, often long after the needed support offered by loved ones and professionals has been removed. Even though the effects of spiritual distress take a tremendous toll, resources for healing spiritual pain are not readily available. In this article, I will examine the effects of loss on the human spirit, and explore means for promoting healing and […]