John Pete

John Pete is a spiritual writer, founder of Daily Grief Quotes on Facebook, and was a Certified Grief Counselor for over 10-years . He has appeared on the "Grieving The Healing Heart" radio program and is published in the 2011 books, "Open To Hope, Inspirational Stories of Healing After Loss," "Grieving the Sudden Death of a Loved One" (2012, DVD), and Grief Diaries - Through the Eyes of Men (2016, book). John Pete is online at https://facebook.com/dailygriefquotes.

Articles:

Preparing To Say Goodbye and Other Challenges of the Heart

I found out this week that my father’s several years-long battle with cancer has moved to a terminal stage. And while the news is not completely unexpected, it is a frightening jolt to be faced with his mortality in terms of months, all the same. My father has quietly admitted that he is afraid and not yet ready to die; heartbreaking words from someone whose emotions are usually very reserved. My dad would likely be surprised to know that I have always seen him as one of the strongest men I have ever known, despite the fact that there have been many differences between us. He has not […]

A Spiritual Connection To Our Pet Companions

Picture the humorous sight of a Golden Retriever with short, little Corgi legs and you have a glimpse of our precious Tucker, who died February 21, 2009 at age 16 1/2. Tucker was truly a ray of sunshine in our lives. She was always there to greet us at the door with her big brown trusting eyes, an enthusiastic wag of her tail, and a bark of elation as if we were returning from a long journey instead of an hour or two away from home. Little did she know that we were as eager to see her as she […]

The Gift

When we lose a loved one we are confronted with a life-changing event that forces us to accept that our lives will never be the same again. As a grief counselor, and someone who has experienced my own profound losses, I have read all the textbooks and witnessed the common stages of denial, anger and guilt, bargaining, depression, and the slow journey to true acceptance. Anyone who has lost someone knows there is no other experience in life like losing a loved one. And at a time of volatile emotions, it is easy to be hurt and angered by those […]

Got Faith?

WHAT IS FAITH, BY THE WAY? It’s a simple question, right? Maybe not… Faith can mean many things to many people, and whatever one’s personal beliefs, they should be respected as everyone’s journey is their own. This is reflected in our everyday life experiences, including grieving the loss of a loved one. And regardless of those beliefs, we all have the opportunity to comfort and support one another in the most important aspect of our lives – the here and the now. Most of us have an inner faith of some sort, including the strong conviction by some that there is nothing beyond this […]

The Legacy of Grandma’s Cookie Jar

By John Pete —

I Believe (poem)

I believe I will see my loved ones again and it is that, among other things, which allows me to heal and gives me the courage to journey forward. I believe there is a profound reason for life and death, perhaps purposely beyond our understanding. I believe that moving forward is about creating opportunities for spiritual growth, and not just going through the motions of another day. I believe that life’s events are a classroom, and not some meaningless cosmic joke. I believe that love is profoundly connected to the meaning of life, and not just an empty phenomenon that rewards […]

Rebalancing After Loss

I believe in some ways grief must be like losing a limb. In the aftermath, you have lost something you can never get back, and each new day thereafter, brings one sad reminder of your loss after another. You suddenly are faced with the stark realization that whatever or whomever is missing, was so necessary to your daily being; to a degree that you likely never had to contemplate before. In order to move forward after a profound loss, we must work to rebalance our lives. And in order to accomplish this we my painfully change the focal point from what is missing […]

Evolution of the Soul

I have often encountered people who question the purpose of life, especially following a sad loss in their lives. As a spiritual person I too have questioned our purpose and the existence of God and why bad things happen. And as everyone must, I have come to many of my own conclusions based on my personal experiences, and sometimes the experiences of others. The answer for me is about gathering. From the beginning of our lives, we are filling a metaphorical basket with all the good and bad things we encounter in life; things that we carry with us, or discard along the way. As […]

A Tribute To Ellie

Ellie Valdez Honeyman has touched and inspired very many lives. She was one of those rare souls whom others are always happy to encounter, even if just in passing and to share a quick hello. She had a natural way of always leaving other feeling uplifted, and I know those who had the privilege of knowing her will always remember that. Ellie died earlier this week after a very courageous battle with cancer. And the tremendous number of lives she touched in her lifetime ranged from those who loved her dearly, to a large community of friends who were deeply touched reading about her brave and valiant battle with her terrible cancer which became yet another inspiring testament of just “who” she was. I met Ellie […]

A Spiritual Journey

A wise person once said that ‘grieving is not the same as loving.’ And I believe that once we truly understand and accept that, we can begin to heal. (John Pete, GC-C) I was recently asked what I believed the difference was between spirituality and religion. I view religion as a set of beliefs grounded in traditions that can be learned and practiced. And I view spirituality as the internal force that connects our ability to feel with our ability to reason, and which often drives us to explore our existence and purpose. Death is a part of our journey, […]

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.