Harriet Hodgson

Harriet Hodgson has been a freelancer for 43 years, is the author of thousands of articles, and 47 books, including 10 grief resources. She is a member of the Association of Health Care Journalists, Alliance of Independent Authors, Minnesota Coalition for Grief Education and Support, and Grief Coalition of Southeastern Minnesota. She is well acquainted with grief. In 2007 four family members died—her daughter (mother of her twin grandchildren), father-in-law, brother (and only sibling) and the twins’ father. Multiple losses shifted the focus of Hodgson’s work from general health to grief resolution and healing. She has appeared on more than 185 radio talk shows, including CBS Radio, and dozens of television stations, including CNN. In addition to writing for Open to Hope, Hodgson is a contributing writer for The Grief Toolbox website and The Caregiver Space website. A popular speaker, she has given presentations at The Compassionate Friends national conference, Bereaved Parents of the USA national conference, and Zoom grief conferences. Her work is cited in Who’s Who of American Women, World Who’s Who of Women, Contemporary Authors, and other directories. For more information about this busy grandmother, great grandmother, author, and speaker please visit I’m no longer Assistant Editor, I’m the author of 47 books, and my website is www.harriethodgson.net.

Articles:

Grief Journaling: Don’t Let a Blank Page Scare You

By Harriet Hodgson — A blank journal page or computer screen can be intimidating. But this thought did not enter my head after my daughter and father-in-law died the same weekend. Journaling was the only way I could cope. It helped me cope then and continued to help me when my brother died eight weeks later and when my former son-in-law died a few months after that. Four losses in nine months made? journaling more important than ever. Bob Deits discusses journaling in his book, “Life After Loss.” Over time, you will see the importance of daily entries, he notes, […]

Multiple Losses: Start With the Pain

By Harriet Hodgson — Nobody expects multiple losses. If and when they come the pain is unbearable. ?Who should you grieve first? How long will you grieve? Will you ever be happy again? You want to escape the pain, but it is this pain – a journey through darkness – that leads to healing. Pat McNees makes this point in her book, “Dying: A Book of Comfort.” McNees includes one of her own articles in the anthology, “Grief: The Only Way Out is Through.” As she explains, “The work of grieving, and the only way to get through mourning, […]

Multiple Losses: When the Tears of Grief Return

By Harriet Hodgson — Recovering from multiple losses takes time, grief work, and years of self-examination. You do not recover from multiple losses, you learn to live with them. The process requires acceptance, reconciliation, and the creation of a new life. I have lived all of these things. In February of 2007, my daughter died from the injuries she received in a car crash. Two days later, on the same weekend, my father-in-law succumbed to pneumonia. The deaths stunned me. I was still stunned eight weeks later when my brother died of cancer. Then, nine months later, my former son-in-law […]

The Last Goodbye: Clearing Out Our Deceased Daughter’s House

Seventeen months ago our daughter died from the injuries she received in a car crash.? Since that tragic accident we have walked with grief every day.? We have also become a GRGs — grandparents raising grandchildren.? My husband and I are the legal guardians of 16-year-old, fraternal twins.? Raising them is our new life mission […]

Finding Hope After the Death of a Child

By Harriet Hodgson I am still in shock at the death of my daughter, the 45-year-old mother of twins. The shock of her death in a car crash will be with me forever. Fortunately, I am blessed to have twin grandchildren and my new mission in life is caring for them. My husband and I share this mission. I know my grandchildren and they know me. They know I love them, will care for them, and keep my promises. Though they are living with their father my mind is filled with parenting thoughts about them. Do you have enough lunch money? […]

Anticipatory Grief and Holidays: 12 Survival Tips

Anticipatory grief – a feeling of loss before a death or dreaded event occurs – is a hard journey. Holidays make it even harder. At a time when you’re supposed to feel happy and joyful, you feel sad and anxious. You’re on pins and needles and wonder what will happen next. Remember, your grief stems from love, and you may find comfort in that. Holidays don’t erase your reasons for feeling sad and lonely, according to the National Mental Health Association, and “there is room for these feelings to be present.” So accept your feelings and, if you feel like […]

Recovering From My Daughter’s Sudden and Tragic Death

Grieving is hard work. It is really hard for me because I am grieving for three loved ones at once — my daughter, who was killed in a car crash, my father-in-law, who succumbed to pneumonia, and my brother who died of cancer. All of these deaths were painful, but my daughter’s death was the worst of all. Relatives and friends rallied to help me. Their support lasted for weeks and then it began to fade. Psychotherapist Judy Tatelbaum writes about this response in “The Courage to Grieve.” People start to pull back, she explains, “as if the time for […]

Why Don’t We Talk About Anticipatory Grief?

I know anticipatory grief – a feeling of loss before a death or dreaded event occurs – far too well. My mother suffered from probable Alzheimer’s disease and I was her caregiver for nine years. As time passed she lost the ability to reason, track numbers, read a book, understand TV, create sentences, and finally, the ability to speak.

The Anticipatory Grief of Dementia

Dementia – the loss of intelligence, reasoning, memory, and will – is an awful thing to happen to anyone. There are many causes of dementia: Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, thyroid problems, poor nutrition, drug interactions, brain tumor, and degenerative disease. I was my mother’s caregiver for nine years and watched, helplessly, as dementia changed her appearance, personality, and mind. Every day of caregiving was a day of anticipatory grief. I worried about myself. If I felt this badly now, how would I feel after my mother died?

Helping a Friend Who is Coping With Anticipatory Grief

Friends share their lives with each other. You swap stories, laugh at silly jokes, and discuss tough issues. Whether it’s before death or after, no issue is tougher than grief. “Close friends can make the critical difference in our coping with grief,” writes Judy Tatelbaum in “The Courage to Grieve.”

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.