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:

Working on Posttraumatic Growth, Another Life Journey

For the past seven years I’ve been learning and writing about grief. In 2007, four family members, including my elder daughter, father-in-law, brother, and former son-in-law, all died. My daughter, mother of our twin grandkids, and the grandkid’s father, died in separate car crashes. I wondered if I would survive these traumatic losses. There was no time for self-pity, however, because my husband and I became our grandchildren’s guardians. This responsibility changed my life and my writing. Instead of writing about health/wellness, I began to write about healing from grief, and in the process, learned many new terms. I just […]

The Hand-Knit Shawl, a Linking Object and Labor of Love

My husband was in the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit for weeks. Our minister came to visit him and she had two bulging gift bags. One contained a brown, hand-knit shawl for my husband and the second a blue hand-knit shawl for me. Anonymous members of the church Caring Crafters group made the shawls and the gifts touched my husband. He wouldn’t let his shawl out of his sight. “Where is my shawl?” he would ask, looking worriedly about the room. “That’s a special gift and I don’t want to lose it.” Day shift and night shift nurses became aware of […]

Learning How to Talk ‘Grief’

I’m a grief writer and know lots of grief words. After four loved ones died, however, I realized I had to learn more. Adding to my grief vocabulary helped me to understand research. New grief words and terms also helped me to understand my journey. Most important, these new words and terms helped me evaluate my grief. The National Cancer Institute, in a website article titled “Loss, Grief, and Bereavement,” defines some basic grief terms. Grief is defined as the normal process of reacting to loss. Bereavement is defined as the time after loss, a painful time of tears […]

Shared Hope: A Source of Comfort and Energy

For six months, my husband has been hospitalized, recovering from a dissected aorta and a deep surgical wound. His scar is closing and he will need ongoing physical therapy for his paralyzed legs. Many patients would be discouraged by these health challenges, and my husband admitted that he burst into tears one day. Still, he has a positive outlook on life. “I haven’t given up on hope,” he told his physical therapist. His hope has renewed my hope. Equally important, his hope made me aware of the power of hope. As the days passed I realized hope made us a […]

Recovering from a Loss is Up to You

My mother had a saying and used it often: The good fairy isn’t coming. The saying applied to many aspects of life. She would say it before she began a task, such as cleaning the house, or going to the grocery store. When my mother said the good fairy wasn’t coming she was implying – and showing – that I was responsible for myself. I learned this lesson in childhood and have lived it many times. In 2007, after my daughter, father-in-law, brother, and former son-in-law all died, my mother’s saying came to mind. Coping with grief was up to […]

How Tokens and Linking Objects May Help the Bereaved

“I’ve come to see the flag,” she declared. The white-haired woman had come from skilled nursing section of the nursing home to the rehabilitation unit. She parked her walker, sat down, and peered at the flag outside the window. “Look at that!” she exclaimed. “The flag is straight out. That’s beautiful.” I was sitting at a table with my husband, who was in rehabilitation for wound care and physical therapy on his paralyzed legs. After a few silent moments, the woman turned to me and smiled. “My husband was in the navy for years,” she explained, “and seeing the flag […]

Moving to a New Home Sparks Grief

My husband’s aorta split and during emergency surgery he had a spinal stroke. Now his legs are paralyzed and he can’t return to our current home, which has lots of stairs. So our home is for sale and I’m building a wheelchair friendly town home for us. It’s supposed to be finished in a month, and I’ll move there before my husband. I want to have everything ready for him: a hospital bed, bedside table, and shower wheelchair. Thinking about all I have to do wakes me up at four in the morning. Once I’m awake, I rarely go back […]

Caregiving is an Unavoidable Link to Anticipatory Grief

More than a decade ago I became my mother’s caregiver. Though she lived in an assisted living community, I had many responsibilities and, as mini strokes robbed her of memory, my responsibilities increased. From taking her to medical and dental appointments, to running errands, to going out for lunch, I did something for my mother every day. And every day I wondered, “Will this be the day she dies?” Anticipatory grief became my constant companion. Now I’m a caregiver again. In late October my husband’s aorta dissected and he had three emergency operations. During the third one, 13 hours of […]

The Grief of Disability is Powerful and Life-Changing

In October, my husband’s aorta split for the second time. He had three operations in less than a week. The third one, to remove blood and insert grafts, took 13 hours. Unfortunately, he had a spinal stroke during the operation. When he agreed to have the surgery my husband understood the odds, a 20 percent chance of dying, a 10 percent chance of being paralyzed. “Your chances of having more time with your family are 80 percent,” one surgeon explained. My husband accepted the risks in order to be with his family. He was anesthetized for three weeks in Intensive […]

Creating a Spiritual Path to Healing

In 2007, after my grandchildren lost both parents in separate car crashes, I remember what I said to them outside the hospital emergency room entrance. All of us, especially my twin grandchildren, were paralysed with shock. “You’re coming home with us,” I said. At that moment, I knew my life had changed. I had a new mission and it was sacred. My husband and I shared this mission. We didn’t know where it would lead or the challenges we would face. Five years have passed since our grandchildren moved in with us and, though they are now legal adults, our mission continues. The word sacred implies spirituality. […]

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.