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

Re-imagining the Advent Candles

Posted on November 27, 2021 - by Elizabeth Brady

Re-imagining the Advent Candles During the season of Advent 2003, I was eight months pregnant with our son Mack, who was born January 16, 2004. Our daughter, Izzy, had just turned six and was dressed as an angel. She had just participated in the Christmas Eve children’s pageant at our church. She leaned against me drawing on a Little Episcopalians notepad. Gold tinsel from her halo tickled my nose, and we smiled at each other when Mack moved inside me and she could feel him through my dress. “That is so weird, Mamma!” she giggled and my husband, Christian, smiled. […]

Read More
Open to hope

The Day My Old Life Ended

Posted on November 27, 2021 - by Jenny Lisk

My Old Life Ended When you finally arrive home on a Friday evening — one kid in tow, the other successfully deposited with the Boy Scouts for the weekend — and your forty-something-year old husband has a funny look on his face, your first thought is unlikely to be: This time next year I’ll be a widow, raising two grieving kids alone. At least, that certainly was not my first thought on the day my old life ended. After fighting the cross-town traffic characteristic of Seattle’s suburbs, I got home one night to find Dennis sitting on the couch in our living […]

Read More
Open to hope

Messages from My Deceased Son

Posted on November 17, 2021 - by Meryl Beck

Messages from My Deceased Son At the age of thirty-five, my son chose to end his life here on earth. Here was the first of my messages from my deceased son: “I, Jonathan Hershey Beck, decided the time has come for me to die. I am doing this because there is nothing left for me . . . I do not want a new job. I do not want to move to a new city. I do not want new friends. I am ready to move on beyond this human form to whatever exists after . . . I am […]

Read More
Open to hope

Healing Hugs: Embracing Love and Survival

Posted on November 17, 2021 - by Meryl Beck

Healing Hugs Over the Fourth of July weekend in 1997, Tamara Gabriel was driving to a friend’s home with her nine-year-old daughter Janna. The car hydroplaned and collided with another car, killing Janna. Tamara became isolated in her grief and felt people had turned away from her. She responded by writing a poem about the importance of hugs: If You See Me If you see me, do not run . . . I know that talk is not much fun. I know your hearts are sure to tug, But all I need is just a hug. After her poem was […]

Read More
Open to hope

Is All Grief the Same? Grieving to Scale

Posted on November 17, 2021 - by Becky Womack

Is all grief the same? Daily, I tend a one-eyed guinea pig.  She used to see her world just fine, but a recent scuffle with an older pig rendered her partially blind. This happened on my watch, which was somehow inadequate despite the fact that I have two fully functioning eyes. It is my daughter’s guinea pig.  A musician, my daughter has been traveling to music venues, multiple gigs in the month of August. She trusts me.  She knows me as one who faithfully waters a dandelion patch in case of guinea pig feasts and sleepovers.  As one who has […]

Read More
Open to hope

Master Class in Helplessness: When a Child Gets Cancer

Posted on November 1, 2021 - by Greg Adams

A Master Class in Helplessness I was talking with my wife not long ago, and I shared that I had been talking with someone the childhood cancer world. In my previous conversation, I had described that experience as a “masterclass in helplessness.” My wife looked at me and said, “There’s your next essay.” And not for the first time, she was exactly right. One of those days in the childhood cancer world, I was on the inpatient unit talking with one of the many impressive-as-all-get-out nurses. We were going through a rough patch of newly diagnosed patients, relapses, and deaths. […]

Read More
Open to hope

The Gifts from Losing You

Posted on October 28, 2021 - by Sara Green

The concept of finding meaning in life while living with tragedy sparked something in me and opened me up to the possibility there could be some gifts and blessings that might arise from our trauma of losing Patrick.  In the beginning, it can feel wrong to give ourselves permission to feel anything other than total despair and heartbreak over the loss of our loved one.  We think we must stay in the sadness to honor our love. Rediscovering joy and acknowledging the gifts does not mean we love them any less.  On the contrary, they want us to rise up […]

Read More
Open to hope

Recognizing Signs From the Afterlife

Posted on October 25, 2021 - by Linda Zelik

Recognizing Signs From the Afterlife Some may say that the idea of recognizing signs from the afterlife is paranormal, metaphysical or just plain crazy. I used to be one of those people, until I lost my 24-year-old son. My thinking changed as I began to receive multiple and varied signs, which were far beyond mere coincidences. These signs from my son have been an indescribable blessing which have helped me achieve peace and healing. I believe our loved ones remain around us in spirit form and use whatever means of communication they can to help us move through our grief. […]

Read More
Open to hope

Writing Through Grief

Posted on October 25, 2021 - by Faith Wilcox

We each have a story to tell, and sharing it is vital to our emotional wellbeing. Some of us choose to express our stories through art, music, dance. I chose writing through my grief. I wanted to capture the maelstrom of emotions that swirled within me each time I remembered when my 13-year-old daughter Elizabeth was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer. Writing Through Grief I began to write one day following her first surgery. I wrote of my shock, fear of the unknown future, and feeling like an alien in a medical world that I didn’t understand. Slowly, I […]

Read More
Open to hope

Death Anniversaries are Powerful Days

Posted on October 25, 2021 - by Judy Lipson

The dates are forever etched in our minds and hearts – the death anniversaries of our siblings. The calendar need not remind us; our bodies and minds tell us as the date is approaching. My sleep pattern changes, I experience outbursts of tears or crying spells, and my heart hurts. No rhyme or reason, it seems. Some years are more painful than others;. Why is this so? There are no answers. Grief paints its own picture. Death Anniversaries May Take Us By Surprise Last August 1st marked the 31st anniversary of the death of my sister Margie. This year seemed […]

Read More

Foundation

Get Involved

Resources

Copyright © 2026 Open to Hope