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Articles:

Of Fathers and Faith

Father’s Day is just ahead, and for more than 150 million Americans whose fathers have died, it will be a day of missing Dad. Father’s Day can be a traumatic day for those of us whose fathers who have died and the anticipation of the day is often as difficult – or even more difficult – than the holiday itself. Whether it’s been recent or many years since Dad passed away, we have to somehow get through the day as well as remember and honor Dad’s life. When John Pete ask me to write a blog on how my faith […]

Purchasing Funeral Flowers

by Barbara K. Jackson A funeral is a very, very sad time for most families and as such care should be taken in purchasing any funeral flowers. This article explains how you should approach purchasing your flowers to get the very best from them and to suit this very sensitive occasion. Funeral flowers are the perfect way to share your grief with the bereaved. It can be a mine field when you first look into sending flowers for a funeral. There are many different types of funeral arrangements, and you must bear in mind that different cultures sometimes may view […]

Should Man Contact Parents of High School Classmate Who Died?

Question from Al: Should I contact parents whose child, a high school friend, died 20 years ago? I feel awkward about doing this, especially at my age, mostly because she was their only child, and I don’t want to invade their lives or bring them any more grief. I am married and have children and have discussed this with my wife. Dr. Gloria Horsley responds: Dear Al, Your e-mail question really resonated with me. My son, Scott, was killed 26 years ago and as a result of Facebook my daughters have been hearing from many of their and his old […]

Unfinished Motherhood

By Clara Hinton When child-loss occurs, a mother goes through a difficult time of emotional turmoil and questioning. “Am I still a mother?” “Does my child still have a birthday each year, or does time stand still?” “Can the mother/child relationship continue to grow, or am I now an ‘unfinished mother’?” Losing a child often places a mother on a road that begins a lonelier journey than ever expected, one that can never really be explained. There was a beginning, but with the death of the child, there is no middle and no end. Everything seems unfinished. Hopes and dreams […]

Getting Through Multiple Loses

by Harriet Hodgson, Search the Internet, browse a bookstore, and you find hundreds of books about grief. You will find personal stories, tributes to the deceased, grief poetry, text books, work books, and memory books. When I looked for a book about coping with multiple losses I could not find what I needed. As it turned out, friends were my “book” and they comforted me in many ways. Though I remember little about 2007, I remember it as the year of death. My daughter and father-in-law died the same weekend. Eight weeks later my brother died. Six months after that […]

Open to Hope Writer Getting Book Published

Open to Hope contributing writer Luellen Hoffman’s book, Special Dream, is being published this fall by Crossroads books. The book can be ordered now at www.Amazon.com. Special Dream, subtitled, “Personal Accounts After the Death of a Loved One,” explores the world of special dreams: clear, unforgettably vivid encounters with loved ones who have died. Her unique collection shares the personal stories of those who have experienced them, including the author herself, and reveals the distinct qualities surrounding this phenomenon. Luellen Hoffman is an adjunct professor at George Mason University and the recipient of the Chairman’s Award VNU/Nielsen Business Media for […]

Families Dealing With Loss

Dr. Donna Schuurmann speaks about Families Dealing with Loss on Open to Hope TV

Taking Care of Relationships After a Child’s Death

by Lisa Buell Valentine’s Day is a day for lovers, a time to celebrate our passion for one another. But what happens after our child has died? Our innocence is lost and it takes every ounce of strength to be civil or even interested in what our partners are saying. What happens when our psychological energy is consumed with the memories of our child and it is taking everything we have just to get through the day? What happens when we can barely look at our spouse because it reminds us of the dream that was our life, a dream […]

Recalling a Childhood Friend, Decades After Her Death

By Linda C. Wisniewski — If a loss comes early in life, it sometimes takes many years before its full impact is felt. When my kindergarten best friend was killed, I was more puzzled and scared than sad. It was only when I began writing my own life story and recalled the events surrounding her death that I was able to find meaning in it. Here’s what I wrote about her in Chapter Three of my memoir, Off Kilter: What I remember most about Diane is the way she looked in her casket. That morning, our kindergarten class walked two-by-two […]

Sharing Stories Helps Us Remember

by Judy Wright People who have lost a loved one, either a human or animal, search for ways to remember and at least keep a memory alive. Sharing stories helps us remember those good days and the joy that loved one brought to us. We may no longer to enjoy their fun and love in this existence, but the memory can remind us of the emotions and experiences we had together. We want to remember the deceased and maintain some part of their live lessons in our daily journey. This need to remember becomes especially strong on birthdays, anniversaries or holidays. […]

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.