Open to Hope Articles

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.

Articles Home

Open to hope

Krystal’s Slide Show and Victim Impact Statement

Posted on January 15, 2007 - by admin

Honorable Judge Dearing, My name is Jo Ann Webb. I am Krystal Duss’ mother. How can I give you a glimpse of the unspeakable, unthinkable, unimaginable despair, pain, suffering and deep grief of having my child killed by a drunk driver? December 9, 2003 seemed like a typical day. I went to work. I teach at a public high school. Krystal and I usually talked on the phone several times a day. She’d call just to say, “hi.” I’d call to see how her day was going and tell her that I loved her. On December 9, Krystal called to […]

Read More
Open to hope

Dear Heidi,

Posted on January 15, 2007 - by admin

Thank you so much for replying to my email. Your reply means a lot to me because I can only imagine how busy you must be with your professor schedule, working with 911 survivors, writing a book, co-hosting Healing the Grieving Heart with your mom, and having a family, with a new daughter too! Thank you for taking the time to reply. First, thank you for acknowledging the fact that Krystal had her life taken from her. My heart breaks because she did not get the chance the raise Daniel and Andrew. She and her husband Joe tried for 7 […]

Read More
Open to hope

Dear Jo Ann,

Posted on January 15, 2007 - by admin

I just received your e-mail and wanted to first say how sorry my mom and I are to hear about the murder of your daughter Krystal. How horrible for everyone to have Krystal murdered by a drunk driver. She was in the prime of her life, with two twin babies and her entire life ahead of her. This just shouldn’t have happened. Also thank-you for acknowledging my loss, as a bereaved sibling I continue to feel unacknoweldged in my loss. And it is my life’s calling to educate the world about the uniqueness of the sibling relationship and the loss […]

Read More
Open to hope

Dear Dr. Gloria and Dr. Heidi,

Posted on January 15, 2007 - by admin

Dear Dr. Gloria and Dr. Heidi, First of all I would like to thank you for your program Healing the Grieving Heart. I listen to it each week and it has been a light in the darkness for me. You both give me inspiration and hope as I travel this journey to build a normal and create a legacy for my daughter, Krystal Duss. However, I must tell you both that I was very offended by Bryon Katie’s show on 1-11-07. How dare she tell a grieving father who lost his only child 7 years ago that he needs to […]

Read More
Open to hope

Refilling The Hole of Loss

Posted on January 15, 2007 - by admin

The truth of celebration is there often is a bittersweet element to it. Someone may be missing this year in the celebration. The last Christmas my family had with my husband was spent at the hospital and at home. We had a Christmas tree at both locations. The children were nine and seven. Christmas morning the children woke up to presents under the tree and stockings filled as the three of us experienced our first Christmas without Dad with us. Later that morning, we went to the hospital with gifts and he had the gifts I’d purchased he would give […]

Read More
Open to hope

Dear Friend of GriefWorks,

Posted on January 14, 2007 - by admin

Dear Friend of GriefWorks, As the New Year gets underway, I want to remind you that GriefWorks is offering a six-week “Family Night Series” from 6:15-8:15 p.m., beginning January 18. Families will begin the evening together with a light dinner (which is provided) and a brief introduction. Then we will divide into groups for parents, teens, and children. In a supportive environment and using age-appropriate activities, family members will have the opportunity to share and work through their grief. Then we will conclude the evening by bringing all the family members back together for a brief summary of the evening. […]

Read More
Open to hope

For Widows Only — Three Secret Things To Guide You

Posted on January 14, 2007 - by

You’re home now — From the cemetery — Just closed the door on an endless line of well-wishing-filled-with-advice strangers who didn’t know what to say but talked endlessly anyway, and now that they’re gone you know you will never see or hear from most of them ever again. Your hair smells of roses and gladioli and you secretly wish for a giant eraser to erase all the pain. You’ve just buried your life partner; your husband, your best friend. As Joan Didion says, “Life changes fast.”

Read More
Open to hope

For Widows Only — Three Secret Things To Guide You

Posted on January 14, 2007 - by admin

You’re home now — From the cemetery — Just closed the door on an endless line of well-wishing-filled-with-advice strangers who didn’t know what to say but talked endlessly anyway, and now that they’re gone you know you will never see or hear from most of them ever again. Your hair smells of roses and gladioli and you secretly wish for a giant eraser to erase all the pain. You’ve just buried your life partner; your husband, your best friend. As Joan Didion says, “Life changes fast.”

Read More
Open to hope

For Widows Only — Three Secret Things To Guide You

Posted on January 14, 2007 - by Linda Della-Donna

You?re home now — From the cemetery — Just closed the door on an endless line of well-wishing-filled-with-advice strangers who didn?t know what to say but talked endlessly anyway, and now that they?re gone you know you will never see or hear from most of them ever again. Your hair smells of roses and gladioli and you secretly wish for a giant eraser to erase all the pain. You?ve just buried your life partner; your husband, your best friend. As Joan Didion says, ?Life changes fast.?

Read More
Open to hope

For Widows Only — What I’ve Learned

Posted on January 13, 2007 - by Linda Della-Donna

After my husband died, I trashed my writing — Journals — An accumulation of spiral bound notebooks, one for each month of each year for four years. And a YA novel manuscript I was working on. I blamed my husband’s dying on my writing. I told myself, Self, if you hadn?t spent so much time writing, you might have noticed your husband was sick.

Read More

Foundation

Get Involved

Resources

Copyright © 2026 Open to Hope