Open to Hope Articles

Articles Home

The Miracle of the Vigil

Posted on June 10, 2010 - by Dr. Jane R. Westerfield

On Friday, November 5, 1999, as the sun rose over the ocean at St. Simons Island, Georgia, my mother, LuReese Watson Robertson, quietly yielded her spirit to God’s eternal care. The week before had been a time of prayers and tearful goodbyes for our family as we watched her slip away. In the hours I spent alone by her bedside, I talked to her even though she could not answer. Somehow I believe that she heard me as I thanked her for being such a wonderful wife, mother and grandmother. Since there were some indications that she was aware of […]

Despite Pain of Child-Loss, ‘Surrender is Beneath Me’

Posted on June 9, 2010 - by John French

I am hastened into facing another day. Woken by the onslaught of my mourning. It is a struggle to keep the sorrow at bay, as it strikes me without warning. The terror impacts me the instant I wake. But I must keep fighting for sanity’s sake. Through the relentless oppression of laughter and song. To the constant regression as the war rages on. No source of shelter offers any relief, my only protection is the Armor of grief. In the daily battle with my emotions, I often feel overwhelmed. I find myself wallowing in the murky trenches of grief, at […]

After a Loss, Tipping the Balance Toward Joy Again

Posted on June 8, 2010 - by Charles Glassman

For those of you who have read Brain Drain, you remember the chapter that started with a dialogue from the popular Seinfeld episode about George doing the opposite and finding success. In the same episode, Jerry finds that everything always evens out for him, his buddy George, usually jobless and complaining, has now found a job and is cheery; his friend Elaine, usually gainfully employed and upbeat, is now without a job and pessimistic; Seinfeld loses $20, only to find it later in his pocket. He declares that everything works out for him, and Kramer declares him “even Steven.” In […]

OTH’s Eric Hipple Featured on U.S Army Site

Posted on June 7, 2010 - by admin

Open to Hope author Eric Hipple is featured on the U.S. Army’s official blog. Hipple is co-author, with OTH founders Heidi and Gloria Horsley, of Real Men Do Cry: A Quarterback’s Inspiring Story of Tackling Depression and Surviving Suicide Loss. The book is available at www.amazon.com Read the military blog item here: http://armylive.dodlive.mil/index.php/2010/02/nfl-u-s-army-team-up/

Mother Finds Comfort in Living Her Daughter’s Values

Posted on June 6, 2010 - by Harriet Hodgson

On the first anniversary of our daughter’s death, my husband and I held a graveside service in her memory. It was a brief service because the February temperature hovered around zero and the wind chill was fierce. Despite the weather, 10 people gathered to remember her. I passed out a list of our daughter’s values. These simple, powerful values are her legacy. Today, as my grandchildren graduate from high school and prepare for college, I am reminded of my daughter’s values and how they shaped her life. My twin grandchildren were 15 years old when their mother and father died […]

Pet Loss Can Devastate

Posted on June 6, 2010 - by Kathryn Williams Raths

Although a common thread connects the stages of grief, the journey of sorrow materializes differently for each person who trudges through it. From overwhelming emotion, timeless pain and isolation to frozen reality or numbness, self-destruction and complete denial, grief is customized to each individual. It is also very real and may be devastating when you lose a pet who has been an integral part of your family! I lost my beloved Scruples on April 27 of this year. My cat, who reminded me of Garfield, had just turned 20 years old. He was with me, as my best friend, for […]

In Life and Death, What is ‘Right’ Will Come to Us

Posted on June 4, 2010 - by Charles Glassman

I recall during high school when I was applying to colleges. Firmly affixed in the neurons of my automatic brain was Groucho Marx’s famous line: “I sent the club a wire stating, PLEASE ACCEPT MY RESIGNATION. I DON’T WANT TO BELONG TO ANY CLUB THAT WILL ACCEPT ME AS A MEMBER.” So it would follow that any college that accepted me could not be so great. When I did not get into my first choice schools, I cried. My high school advisor suggested that if I really did not want to go to those colleges that accepted me, I should […]

Trees Symbolize Son’s Journey

Posted on June 3, 2010 - by Alice Wisler

“It was time to dig up the thin maple that died last fall and, like Daniel, did not bloom in the spring.” It was time. In an hour the November afternoon would be dark. With Baby Elizabeth in the stroller, we headed to our front lawn. Benjamin immediately began to run around, but my husband, David, seven-year-old Rachel and I stood beside the thin tree. Rachel held the order of ceremony that she had spent the afternoon writing. It was three pages of her own creation, the “service” for our family’s gathering that afternoon. Five members were visible to the […]

We Can Survive the Grief of Child-Loss

Posted on June 1, 2010 - by Cathy Seehuetter

I vividly remember April 19, 1995. My daughter Nina had heard on the news that something horrible had just occurred in Oklahoma City. She told me that a federal office building had been bombed, killing many people, many of them very young children. As the scene replayed itself on every station, Nina and I knelt in front of the television. We held hands and were motionless and hushed except for the sound of our occasional choking sobs. As we watched the horrific scene and the victim’s loved ones in their shock and grief, I distinctly remember my reaction. After saying a […]

Mourners Can Choose Happiness, a Gift to Themselves

Posted on May 30, 2010 - by Harriet Hodgson

The death of a loved one changes you forever. You mourn, determine your grief work, do the work, and try to build a new life. At least, these are the things I had to do after four loved ones died in 2007. Though I miss my father-in-law, brother, and former son-in-law, my daughter’s death affected me the most. The pain has been unbearable. Coming to terms with multiple losses is a journey in itself. Reconciliation is hard-won and I had many times when recovery seemed elusive — a moving target I could not reach no matter how fast I ran. […]