Open to Hope Articles
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 3,000 articles written by our Open to Hope authors.
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Surviving Widowhood: Check Your Track Record
February 10, 2019
There is something about widowhood that brings you to your knees. I remember feeling trapped in an alternative universe trying to make sense of the chaos that surrounded me. The most troubling part was that the one person who was capable of steadying my boat – even as the sea of life raged around me […]
Healing Through the Decades After a Child Dies
February 10, 2019
I am a bereaved parent. For so long, that title has defined me and the person I am now. My first daughter was born in 1995 and had a rare condition called Alagille Syndrome. She was cognitively okay, but had serious issues with her heart, liver and kidneys. She lived for two years and two […]
Safety in the Silence
February 10, 2019
Silence can be a very safe and sacred place when one is grieving. Recently, I spoke with a woman who had a very tragic sudden death in her life. She could barely speak as she tried to explain to me the things that people were saying to her. She was hurt and angry about the […]
The Wound Time Won’t Heal
February 10, 2019
Time heals all wounds. We’ve all heard it. Sounds incredibly hopeful for someone who’s drowning in grief. Except when time doesn’t heal your wound. Not enough time. It’s been years since my 4-year-old daughter, Margareta, died. She died exactly 29 days after her fourth birthday. That means we had 1,489 glorious days to spend with […]
A Daughter, a Mother and an Unexpected Passing: Darkness Followed by a Bright Moment
February 6, 2019
My wife and I are owners of a company that provides what technically is known as biohazard remediation. We provide cleanup and sanitization services when people are dealing with the aftermath of challenging incidents at their homes. We work with people at some very difficult moments in their lives. Examples of how we help people […]
Dropping into Memory
February 4, 2019
Anniversaries come and go but some linger like the drops of rain hanging on the humming bird feeder outside. They don’t want to let go and so they hang on until the weather changes and dries them up or drop from their perch with the force of the wind. Anniversaries are important reminders of the […]
Sometimes Men Need Their Own Sandbox
February 4, 2019
Something was wrong. Men who followed the Facebook page, “Widowers Support Network,” just weren’t actively using it as a grief recovery tool. Then, in March of 2018, it hit me. Widowed men who sought out the services of my ministry, the Widowers Support Network wanted to express themselves and the grief they were confronted […]
Jason Stout: Heroic Journey, Outward Bound
February 3, 2019
The Executive Director of Open to Hope spoke with Jason Stout of Outward Bound during the 2015 Association of Death and Counseling Conference. When asked about how he got into this field, Stout responded, “I fell in love with the mission.” Personal growth via a challenge is something that everyone faces, including when losing a […]
When a Sibling Dies by Suicide
January 31, 2019
In the initial months and years after my sister Denise died by suicide (just two weeks before her 18th birthday), I sought out as much information on sibling loss as I could. Denise was my younger sister, the one I shared a room with for 10 years, the one who knew more about me and […]
