Open to Hope Articles

Articles Home

Grieving the Self We Lost Along the Way

Posted on October 16, 2025 - by maya-fleischer

When we think of grief, most of us picture the loss of someone we love. Yet there is another kind of grief, quieter and often unnamed: the grief of losing touch with parts of ourselves. For some, early trauma or difficult experiences meant silencing our voice, hiding our needs, or abandoning joy in order to stay safe. These strategies helped us survive. But later in life, we may realize how much of ourselves has been left behind. That realization can feel like grief — because it is. This form of grief doesn’t come with rituals or sympathy cards. It doesn’t […]

A Different Kind of Animal

Posted on October 15, 2025 - by Greg Adams

One is a cat owner, and the other has a dog. Both recently shared how difficult it will be when their pets die. They will need some downtime and space to adjust and grieve. Both thought that it might not be possible to return to work the next day. In another conversation, a man older than me shared how he still misses his dog. They had a routine, and he misses that routine along with his dog’s presence in his life and home. There was a younger woman, younger than me, who talked about how the death of her cat […]

Befriending Our Loneliness in Grief

Posted on October 15, 2025 - by Dr. Audrey Davidheiser

In a New Yorker article, Tad Friend quoted a psychiatrist who had ample experience with those who vaulted to their deaths from the Golden Gate bridge. The doctor singled out a case that especially moved him: “The guy was in his thirties, lived alone, pretty bare apartment. He’d written a note and left it on his bureau. It said, ‘I am going to walk to the bridge. If one person smiles at me on the way, I will not jump’” (Tad Friend, “Jumpers,” The New Yorker, October 5, 2003, www.newyorker.com/magazine/2003/10/13/jumpers). Sadly, he jumped, which must mean nobody smiled at […]

The Big Red Purse

Posted on October 1, 2025 - by Linda Henderson

Andrea, I was hoping you could lend me one of your big purses. I opened the closet where they are stored. To my disappointment, the big ones I remember were not there. I’m not sure, perhaps I lent them on your behalf, and my grief brain doesn’t remember. At first, I was disappointed and sad, a minor frustration compared to the grief I carry daily, but it caused me to pause. I know you understand. I started to look in the closet quietly, and my eyes focused on the purse you had that day—the beautiful lilac-colored one with darker purple […]

Why We React Differently to Grief

Posted on September 15, 2025 - by Dr. Audrey Davidheiser

One reason grief is undesirable is the overwhelming soup of feelings it stirs up. Dr. Kenneth Doka, a prolific author and speaker on the subject of grief, explains it this way: “We rarely experience one dominant emotion at a time. We can feel depression, anger, disbelief all at once. We are a hive of emotions” (Kenneth J. Doka, Grief Is a Journey: Finding Your Path Through Loss). If his assessment feels intimidating, take a deep breath. Internal Family Systems (IFS) can help you tease apart one emotion from the next. How? We can identify parts of our soul based […]

Carl’s Magpies-Messages from the Afterlife

Posted on September 15, 2025 - by Veronica Crawford

Before losing my brother Carl after a car accident, I had always believed that when we died, that was it, the end of our journey. And in the early stages of grief, it was a dark time – to think that Carl was gone and I would never see him again. After Carl’s funeral, we were faced with the daunting task of collecting his belongings. Carl’s friends were amazing and provided support beyond what we could ever have expected. They brought their trucks and trailers and helped us pack everything he owned. Words can’t convey the surreal, gut-wrenching feeling of […]

Secondary Loss with Grief

Posted on September 15, 2025 - by Linda Henderson

Navigating secondary losses “Grief does not change you, it reveals you.” John Greene When my daughter Andrea died, a part of me died. My world shattered in a moment, and I stood in the ruins, with no foundation. I did not know how to breathe and could not think of living in a world without her. Losing her was devastating, but unknown to me was that Grief was going to unravel like a ball of yarn to reveal so much more. As time passed, Grief kept showing up in unexpected ways. It wasn’t just the absence of Andrea that weighed […]

When a Parent is Ninety: Grieving the Loss of a Child

Posted on September 11, 2025 - by RichardEBristol

When a Parent is Ninety: Grieving the Loss of a ChildGrief has no expiration date. Whether you are thirty or ninety, the loss of a child shakes the soul. For a 90-year-old parent, this loss can feel especially disorienting — as if the natural order of life has been reversed. No matter how many years have passed, a parent never stops being a parent, and the heart never stops longing for the child it has loved.The Butterfly and the Empty BranchImagine a butterfly resting on a branch — delicate, vibrant, part of the garden’s beauty. It is late in the […]

Ten Ways to Support Grieving Parents Who Are Experiencing the Loss of a Child

Posted on September 11, 2025 - by Steven Williams, Ph.D.

Why This Topic Matters The death of a child is one of the most devastating and life-altering losses anyone can experience. For parents, it is not only the loss of a beloved son or daughter—it is the loss of future dreams, milestones, and a sense of identity that is often intertwined with being a parent. Friends and family often want to help but struggle to find the right words or actions. Missteps are common—not out of malice, but out of fear or lack of understanding. By identifying what parents who are grieving the loss of a child need most, we […]

The Healing Touch of Nature

Posted on August 11, 2025 - by Dolores Cruz

The Healing Touch of Nature In the immediate aftermath of the unimaginable loss of my 24-year-old son, Eric, from a car accident, I felt broken and lost. The pain in my chest and stomach were relentless and I had no appetite. My hands shook so much it was hard to write anything that was very legible. I was making my way through each day in a fog. My soul must have guided my body to keep doing what it does, one breath at a time, one step at a time. Some moments in the day I was stoic, other moments […]