God bless me with strength And the courage I need To move forward in life Embrace all that I’ve seen. Bless me with your love Through my turbulent times And, help me understand This journey of mine. Shower me with the radiance Of your brilliance, Lord Bless my heart, my soul Let me shine, forever soar. Deborah Ann Tornillo Author, “36 Days Apart” http://www.deborahtornillo.com
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by Sandy Fox There are many things that can be done to help bereaved parents cope. You may have a friend who is just starting out on his or her grief journey, and it is hard enough for them to just get out of bed in the morning. They don’t need any platitudes from you (see last blog). They need comfort; they need you to see that they make it through the day. With your help, they will. Here are some of the things you can do for them. **Send a sympathy card or note to the parents, saying how […]
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It can be difficult for anyone who is grieving to guage their need for support from others. Maybe you’ve begun to realize that you’d like more support. As one person told us, “After my loss, I got a lot of support and help from family and friends. But it’s been awhile now and I seem to be forgotten. I think they see me as ‘strong’ but I still need to know that they are there for me.” As you struggle with the many stresses that come with losing a loved one, you may feel vulnerable, lost, or “alone in the world.” […]
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When I lost my brother it was early summer time. The flowers were out, the heat hadn’t magnetized and yet I could find beauty in nothing. I felt like I was never going to get over the pain from his death. In some ways I felt paralyzed, almost not feeling at all, from fear that if I did feel I would never come back. The pain ebbed and flowed but the pain was most intense during the holidays. I dreaded them the first year, knowing one chair was missing. His. I had a hard time eating or enjoying the taste […]
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Dad passed away October 9, 2007 and Mom passed 36 days later on November 14, 2007. Today, I can now reflect back and remember how everything in my life had come to a standstill. For a year and half prior to their passing I spent every waking second of my day attending to them. They both had Alzheimer’s and, not only did it strip them of their memory and their life, it stripped me of who I am. I can now look back and realize that since February of 2006 my life has been on hold. The world and everyone […]
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Clearing out our deceased daughter’s house took more than a year. My husband and I could only work for a half-hour before we were overcome with grief. Our daughter died from the injuries she received in a car crash. Nine months later, her former husband was killed in another car crash, and we were raising her twins. Packing up an entire house is a monumental task. After talking with our grandchildren, the family decided to give the contents of the house to Rushford, Minn., flood relief. We packed the kitchen first, then moved on to the family room, living room, […]
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When did sadness stop covering everything? I don’t know. It must have first been for moments, then maybe hours, days eventually. Then for a long time no longer ever-present, but just below the surface waiting for a thought to trigger it. Now, the ingredients of my life are suffused with contentment and joy, but even so, sadness can surface unexpectedly as the dark shape of loss stirs the cauldron and tears are added to the soup of life, salty still, but not as bitter or overpowering, adding an important flavor to the whole of me. From Catching the Light – […]
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After my four-year-old died, I was certain my family would never be the same again. It is true and has been proven over and over that we will no longer be the typical family living at the end of the cul-de-sac. We may look the same (only because I have not been daring enough to don all black as our Victorian ancestors) but our hearts have been mangled and our future dimmed. Through death we have been marked—for life. In the course of any given week, I can clearly note how the changes have come and stayed with us. Events […]
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Walk alone and you will find Memories of yesterday Can destroy your mind. Visions of death and despair Continue to surface Leaving you with fear. Walk alone and you will find Friends along the way Offering words of kind. Fears of yesterday begin to fade Along side, it’s a new day Walk together, it will be okay. Deborah Ann Tornillo Author, “36 Days Apart” http://www.deborahtornillo.com
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by O’Della Wilson Grief and loss are never easy to overcome and most people just don’t know what to do to assist others in their grief. Often times, we simply state “I know this is a difficult time for you right now, but you will get over it” or we say, “Time heals all wounds.” We have all suffered some type of grief and loss, yet trying to help someone during these same trials can leave our good sense behind, and our words feeling empty to the very person we are trying to help. When that grief and loss is […]
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Open to Hope is an online community offering inspirational stories of loss, hope and recovery. We believe hope is the bridge between loss and recovery.
