Let?s begin by taking you on a journey through Time. Time is like the envelope for your life. Your Life is the letter. You place yourself inside of Time and you mail yourself to God. Along the way you forget where you are going. Events on the path remind you, but the messages often appear fragmented and unclear.
Read More
Love Never Dies: A Mother’s Journey from Loss to Love -by Sandy Goodman (Jodere, 2002) Buy ten books for ten dollars (plus shipping) and help us get these books out to those who need them. Call Jodere Group at 1-800-569-1002 and ask for “Jason’s Deal”. Leave a message and they will call you back to take your order! P.S. There is one “catch.” You have to pass these books on to those who need them.
Read More
PHASE I: Acknowledge It If you bury an issue without dealing with it, it will eventually resurrect itself in some form. Hiding from the pain will never make it go away. Instead, it only prolongs the process of healing. If you have ever experienced significant loss, or even severe abuse in some form, then you know that there is an initial shock phase where the occurrence seems surreal. This is normal initially, but then there comes a time when you have to acknowledge what has occurred, before you can ever move toward the road to recovery. It seems easier to […]
Read More
There is a program on cable called New Morning and hosted by Timberly Whitfield. It is 60 minutes of inspirational pieces surrounding weekly themes. I do not always get to watch the early morning show, but do receive their daily newsletter, which encapsulates the daily show. One week?s theme focused on courage. Certainly, a timely subject given the circumstances so many people have had to face with the aftermath of Katrina, Darfur, war in Iraq, and personal issues for many of us including loss.
Read More
HEALING THE GRIEVING HEART Dealing with the Holidays Hosts:? Dr. Gloria Horsley and Dr. Heidi Horsley With guest:? Susan Van Vleck December 21, 2006 G:?Hello.? I?m Dr. Gloria Horsley with my co-host H:?Dr. Heidi Horsley. G:?Each week we welcome you to Healing the Grieving Heart, a show of hope and conversation with those who have suffered the loss of a loved one and for health care professionals who work in this most difficult field.? And as always the message is others have been there before you and made it, you do not walk alone.? If you?re listening to our Thursday […]
Read More
DECEMBER 21, 2006 ? DEALING WITH THE HOLIDAYS: SUSAN VAN VLECK.? Following the death of her 19-year-old son, Marc, in 1992, Susan Van Vleck was looking for meaning.? Marc?s death motivated Susan to graduate with honors from Kennesaw State University receiving a degree in Sociology and Human Services.? She has attended several American Academy of Bereavement seminars.? Susan has been a facilitator for Good Grief, a six-week program based on Granger Westberg?s book Good Grief and was a Promina Northwest Hospice Volunteer in Marietta, Georgia, for two years.? She is also a National Board Member for The Compassionate Friends.? Susan […]
Read More
Following the death of her younger son, Marc, age 19, in 1992, Susan Van Vleck was looking for meaning. Marc’s death motivated Susan to enter and graduate with honors from Kennesaw State University receiving a degree in Sociology and Human Services. She has attended several American Academy of Bereavement seminars. Susan has been a facilitator for Good Grief; a six-week program based on Granger Westberg’s book Good Grief and was a Promina Northwest Hospice Volunteer in Marietta, GA for two years. She is a National Board Member for The Compassionate Friends. Susan knows it isn’t the life you planed, but […]
Read More
A young boy is close to his mother. He is five years old and she is thirty years old. She is in contact with her everyday of his life. He experiences her love in many forms. The way she calls him, the way she gives him shower, the way she feeds him conditions the boy to expect a certain kind of response from his mother. His senses of touch, smell, hearing and vision give input to his nervous system that
Read More
He had given up on killing himself yet he had lost all hope of ever being found. The only thing he had left was this uncontrollable innate will to survive. Days turned into months and months, years, as he detached more and more from civilized thinking and took on the persistent wildness of his surroundings. Until one day, quite unexpectedly, the tide brought him a sail.
Read More
Age is not a prerequisite to grief. Not unlike their parents, child must be allowed to experience the stages of grief. Denial of opportunity to “release” feelings, participate in family loss, and share in recovery can be very damaging to the health and well being of the child. You do not have to be a psychologist or therapist to understand and use basic tools to address the needs of a grieving child. It does require recognition that “kids are people too,” and acceptance that their process of mending is no different than adults. Whether death or divorce,
Read More
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.
