Open to Hope Articles

Articles Home

Why We Mourn

Posted on July 12, 2023 - by Dr. Beth Hewett

Cascade of Losses One July day, just ten days after his twentieth wedding anniversary and two days before his oldest child’s eighteenth birthday, my brother fell from the sky. I imagine him screaming—calling out in terror to God, to Mom, to. . . ; there was no time to call to others. The plane shattered to tiny, toy pieces. His pen, a Father’s Day gift, was scattered with his watch, his shoes, his plane. We, too, screamed with pain, shock, and grief. A little more than a year after my brother died, my ninety-year-old grandmother died. She had suffered from […]

Common Workplace Losses

Posted on July 9, 2023 - by Dr. Beth Hewett

There are many types of losses. Two that occur often in the workplace are loss of a parent and loss of a child. Here are some thoughts about these two losses. Quotes from bereaved people are in italics. Loss of a Parent Before my parents died, I was their child. Even though I’m an adult, I liked knowing that Dad ruffled my hair, calling me his kitten and that Mom wanted me to eat well, exercise, and have a job that I can love. Now that they’re gone, I’m an orphan, right? One of the most common workplace losses is […]

How Workplaces Handle Grief

Posted on July 7, 2023 - by Dr. Beth Hewett

Different Workplaces, Different Risks The death of a coworker can have a profound impact in the workplace. This impact often can be seen throughout the workforce—and, as workplace grief and critical incident specialists, we think the impact has been especially harsh during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Thompson and Lund (2009), organizations have different typologies leading to potential contact with workplace death. These are a primary, central, continuous, and periodic focus (pp. 28-29). Death in Health Care An organization with a primary focus on loss and grief is one where death happens commonly during a work week—in fact, in these workplaces, […]

What to Say to a Family After Suicide

Posted on July 5, 2023 - by Donna Berger

What to Say to a Family After Suicide The death of a loved one is a catastrophic loss, but when a loved one has taken his or her own life, that loss presents a unique set of grief challenges for those left behind. The “complicated grief” of suicide can leave family and friends feeling weakened and even incapacitated for long periods of time. Some are never able to come to terms with that loved one’s death. The greatest barrier to healing for survivors is guilt. The enemy’s favorite weapon is imposing guilt on mankind, and those who have lost a […]

Helping Co-workers After a Loss

Posted on July 3, 2023 - by Dr. Beth Hewett

Helping Co-workers After a Loss Grief is a major workplace challenge—even without pandemic conditions. Bereavement experts (see Bento, 1994, for example) have seen workplace grief as “disenfranchised” insofar as the loss may be ignored or unacknowledged, not socially sanctioned or publicly shared (see Doka, 1989, pp. 4-7), and “stifled” insofar as “recognized grief [is] denied its full course” (Eyetsemitan, 1998, p. 471). It might at first seem that we can take care of our grief at home, away from work. Yet grief unacknowledged and unaddressed—even at work—is grief carried. There are remedies, however. A workplace that offers a culture of […]

Suicide Leaves Question of Why

Posted on July 3, 2023 - by Donna Berger

Suicide Leaves Question of Why Five years ago, my nephew – my brother’s son – died by suicide. He left behind his wife, three precious young children, his mom, dad, and brother as well as extended family members, friends, and business acquaintances. The shock was palpable. Thoughts were confused, words were hard to come by, and “why?” was the question of the day. Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the US and its incidence has increased approximately 30% since the year 2000. In 2021, there were over 48,000 deaths by suicide among 1.7 million suicide attempts. […]

First Responder Grief: Moral Injury

Posted on June 29, 2023 - by Dr. Beth Hewett

First Responder Grief: Moral Injury One of the least noticed griefs that first responders experience is what is known as moral injury, the broken trust with a worldview that includes emotional safety. Moral injuries include learning that you can’t stop crime, you can’t make a dent in war, and you can’t save everyone who needs saving. They include the knowledge that people who die—whether in house fires and earthquakes and from anything else—had their own hopes, dreams, aspirations, and even plans for dinner that night. Moral injuries include grieving your own humanity and humanness, as well as your regrets for […]

First Responder Grief: The Importance of Hope

Posted on June 28, 2023 - by Dr. Beth Hewett

First Responder Grief is Common When a critical incident occurs for a first responder, it’s become common to hear, “Thoughts and prayers!” These kind words help because they convey caring about the work of critical incident response. Yet, as first responders, you know that action and courage and other values also are essential to giving people hope. These values must go beyond thoughts and prayers. First response is all about hope. People who are hurting and scared take their hope from first responders. People hope that: ● those who intend to harm them won’t succeed, ● […]

Even After Death, He’s ‘Still With Us’

Posted on June 24, 2023 - by Brandi Reyna

Still With Us As I walked across the stage to get my degree, I told myself “You are still with me.” As I begin the start of a new year, I tell myself, “You are watching over me.” As I accomplish goals, I tell myself, “You are cheering me on.” As I go from one milestone to the next, I tell myself, “You are proud of me.” As I go through seasons of storms, and when I struggle, I tell myself words of encouragement that you used to tell me. I have so many memories to share with you. I […]

Is Grieving a Denial of God?

Posted on June 23, 2023 - by Brandi Reyna

Grieving the loss of your loved one does not mean that you have lost your faith or gone astray. Deep grief means you loved deeply, and that is not a denial of your faith or belief in God or a higher power. Grieving is our human way of trying to understand something out of our control. Mourning is an outward expression of grief. It is an external expression of internal pain. How we mourn is unique to who we are as a person. Excerpted from Life Amongst the Darkness: https://www.amazon.com/Light-Amongst-Darkness-Joyfilled-Journey-ebook/dp/B0C62GX5NR/ Website: https://linktr.ee/brandireyna