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 7,000 articles written by our Open to Hope authors.
by Amiee Kate Helms
A few of your possessions left to hold,
But the treasures true,
They lie down deep?
Deep within my heart and soul?.
Deep inside of Me?..
I see your face and you smile at me,
You tease to make me laugh?
I hear your songs? And your music
resonates among my soul?
While your words, ?I love you, Mom?
Echo? in every […]
No one knows the pain
That lies behind these smiling eyes
No one sees the tears that are
Buried deep within my heart.
?
Oh the lies I have told!
I am just fine I say.
When the truth is
I can hardly find my way.
?
While in my heart the pain
Grows and grows and grows
With the emptiness of loss
That no one really knows.
?
Over […]
Six months is just pen point on a timeline of 52 years!!!! Yet those six months seemed like the beginning and the end of my life. Life began for me six months ago when I met Tom. Then my life ?ended? when he died. Six months out of a possible 25 years of enjoying earthly […]
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Some people may think that I am insane
Those ones probably have not encountered such pain
The pain of losing a daughter or a son
And knowing that from this life he/she is gone
To wake up in the morning, day after day
And ask “Where is my daughter? Tell me, I pray”
Although I know she is in heaven above
Yet, […]
Writer Ariane de Bonvoisin explains the importance of the first 30 days when making changes
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Don’t think it can’t happen.
?
Elder suicide rates?are up in the United States and it usually start with depression–also a major factor in the elderly.
?
It’s a deadly combination–life debilitating illness, loss of spouse, career, a terminal diagnosis, medications all?exasperate the situation.
?
But it’s not the way we want it to end.
It’s not the […]
Life lessons are everywhere, and I was recently reminded of what it’s like to be a caregiver?by my two dogs–Kismet and Rupert. Kizzy (short for Kismet) is an Alaskan Malamute?and her son, Rupert who is part lab. (She had a tryst in the front yard before we could stop her). Miracle was, she only had […]
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Remember Loved Ones Forever
Create a Memorial Photo Guest Book
?Fill the Memorial Album with Cherished Photos
The memorial album is filled with photos that tell a lasting story about the lost loved one.
Have Friends and Family Share Their Memories
Have the album on hand or send it to friends and family members to view the photos and share […]
As the cleaning, clearing away and releasing of objects phase of this
grief is continuing….
I just woke up at 4:30 am and could not go back to sleep. I gave up
and went to brush my own teeth and it hit me to clean out the bathroom
cupboards below the counter on Joseph’s side and his shelf in the
medicine chest. It is surreal that the Spiderman bath bubbles, the
Power Ranger, Batman and Spiderman toothbrushes are more reminders of
silly, child centered themes. Yes, even have their own story of the
routines in the daily habit of brushing teeth…with the alphabet ball
playing songs to encourage this longer brushing habit holding the
attention span just a little easier with a built in fun distraction…
The Situation: $37,500,000,000. Businesses are accustomed to putting a price tag on lost productivity and increased insurance costs associated with conditions from diabetes to those from life problems including substance […]
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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.
