Loss of a Family Member

After Loss of a child

We know the pain can be unbearable. Read stories and find community. You need not be alone in your journey.

Articles

  • Winter Without Son is Lusterless

    Posted on January 14, 2025 - by John French

    When your child dies, the holidays quickly lose their luster. The entire spectrum of lights is muted to a dull gray, while the endless barrage of seasonal music only brings out the blues. When you combine that with freezing temperatures and the whirlwind of activities, it can lead to treacherous living conditions. Additionally, a string of silent nights bring neither comfort nor joy. I spend a tremendous amount of time and effort during the holidays trying to block out the past and ignore the present. Why? Because all the great memories reiterate how much I have lost. But without them, […]

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  • Five Tips After the Death of a Child

    Posted on December 18, 2024 - by Fran Gerstein

    Five Tips After the Death of a Child From the moment you get the news that your child has died, you are thrust into a surreal world. People are calling—including doctors, nurses, detectives, police, coroners, and funeral directors. You are disoriented, yet there are decisions that require your attention and macabre tasks you must attend to. Most of us rise to the occasion and react later. When you look back, you will undoubtedly wonder, “How did I get through that?” You will also be emotionally and physically confused for a long time. Take care of your mind and body and […]

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  • Black is the Color of Death

    Posted on December 12, 2024 - by Perry Grosser

    Black is the Color of Death I am sure you have seen them, and maybe even wear one or two – those different color silicone awareness bracelets – and they all have their own meaning. Camouflage to support the troops. Orange for Multiple Sclerosis, Lupus and Melanoma. Silver for Dyslexia. And on and on. Black, the color I focus on, is for mourning, POW/MIA, and for some reason Restless Leg Syndrome and Colitis. Matt and I were talking about the black bracelet and what it means to us, the bereaved parents of military personnel, and why black. We both agreed […]

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  • Synchronicity in Grief

    Posted on November 26, 2024 - by Mary Jane Hurley Brant

    What is Synchronicity in Grief? Have you ever had an experience where you said, “Wow, what a coincidence.”  Maybe it was more.  Maybe it was actually a “synchronicity.” Let me explain through a Jungian perspective. Carl Jung, the prominent Swiss psychiatrist, believed synchronicity meant “more than a coincidence.”  Jung, the thinker and founder of analytical psychology, connected synchronicities to the bigger world: the collective unconscious.  These were not just assumptions on his part. Jung believed the collective unconscious was universal (meaning common to all people) because he listened and researched for decades the overlapping stories and myths that people shared […]

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  • Even the Smallest Life Matters

    Posted on November 11, 2024 - by Aura Rose

    Even the Smallest Life Matters The life of your child matters. Your experience of holding them whether in your womb or in your arms matters. All life matters. No matter how fleeting or small—whether it was that magical moment of conception where you felt that swell of hope for new life, or that moment when you sensed the fluttering of butterfly wings in your belly as the song of a new heartbeat joined in the song of creation, or you birthed into this world the perfectly formed vessel that housed a precious spirit, that life mattered. That soul has a […]

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  • Surviving the Holidays After the Death of a Child

    Posted on November 8, 2024 - by Alice Wisler

    Surviving the Holidays After the Death of a Child That holiday-pang hit my stomach the first October after Daniel died. Greeting me at an arts and craft shop were gold and silver stockings, a Christmas tree draped with turquoise balls and a wreath of pinecones and red berries. What was this? And was “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” playing as well? It was only October. I had anticipated that Christmas and the holidays would be tough. In fact, I’d wake on those cold mornings after Daniel died in February and be grateful that it was still months until his […]

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  • I Need to Say Her Name: Surviving the Holidays

    Posted on November 4, 2024 - by Harriet Hodgson

    Surviving the Holidays In 2007 my elder daughter died from the injuries she received in a car crash. Helen loved Christmas and the first one without her was indescribably painful. I thought the second Christmas without Helen would be easier for me. It wasn’t. In fact, my grief seemed worse. While my grief has eased during the passing years, every bereaved parent knows holidays can spark grief again. We go backwards on the recovery/reconciliation path and may come to dread the holidays. We’ve lived another year without a child and there are more years to come. So how can we […]

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  • Getting Through Halloween after Child’s Death

    Posted on October 30, 2024 - by Cathy Seehuetter

    Getting Through Halloween after Child’s Death On the evening I type this, the nip in the October air is a reminder that the major holidays are just around the corner. Halloween decorations have been in the stores since July and Christmas décor even as early as August. For those of us who are bereaved parents, siblings and/or grandparents this means the sooner they are “in our face” the longer we have the constant reminders that we will be facing the holidays without our child. Whether it is your first Halloween following your child’s death or years down the road, such […]

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  • Keep Child’s Memory Alive Through Words and Celebrations

    Posted on October 27, 2024 - by Louise Lagerman

    Keep Child’s Memory Alive Four years ago, I lost my beautiful 23-year-old daughter, Keren. Therefore, I know firsthand how painful it is to lose a child. At first, I really didn’t think I would survive, and almost didn’t. I knew I needed help and reached out through the internet to find other grieving parents, who would understand my pain and grief. I needed to know that I was not alone. At that time, I couldn’t bring myself to attend a grief group, or even leave my house. I felt that I could barely stand up because I was so weighed […]

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  • New Normal After a Son’s Suicide

    Posted on October 13, 2024 - by Jean Williams

    New Normal After a Son’s Suicide Five years after my son’s suicide, I stood at my picture window and smiled at the snowbirds that hovered around the feeder. They spit fluff from the seeds and it floated down, scattering hulls on the ground. A flit of wings and a brown sparrow darted along the grass. After the snowbirds left, I became surprised the sparrow didn’t fly to the food. It continued to eat what fell from the other birds’ beaks. I pitied the feathered creature. It had failed to see there was now room to eat from the bird feeder. […]

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Open to Hope Radio

Open to Hope TV

  • Episode 235: Navigating Loss

    Posted on December 20, 2024 - by admin

    Losses are complicated, how do we navigate them?  Join hosts Dr. Gloria Horsley and her daughter Dr. Heidi Horsley and their guests; Julie Ryan, Sarah Voleman and Dr. Korie Leigh to talk about navigating loss. Julie Ryan is a Medical Intuitive. She is the author of, Angelic Attendants: What Really Happens As We Transition From This Life Into The Next, and Angel Messages, picture books answering kids’ tough questions. Julie hosts the “Ask Julie Ryan” show which is heard by millions worldwide. Sarah Voleman is a board certified art therapist and a licensed social worker.  She is a faculty member […]

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  • Episode 231: Faces of Grief

    Posted on November 6, 2024 - by admin

    Grief comes in many forms, and on this show we will talk about the groundbreaking book “Faces of Grief.” Join Dr. Heidi Horsley and Jason Wendroff-Rawnicki, to discuss Faces of Grief. Joining them are Bill Correll, Jan Jeremias, Carin Mikos, and Kate Mollison. Co-host Jason Wendroff-Rawnicki is a somatic therapist, who started SIBS online, a weekly peer support group. Bill Correll has a podcast called Lightening the Candle: A World the Works.” Jan Jeremias, is the best selling author of “Spoil Your Pet: A Practical Guide to Using Essential Oils in Dogs and Cats.” Carin Mikos is the creator of […]

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  • Episode 230: Turning Loss into Legacy

    Posted on November 6, 2024 - by admin

    How do we turn loss into Legacy? Join host Dr. Heidi Horsley and her co-host Alan Pedersen to talk about the creative ways that people have turned loss into legacy. Joining them are Kate Mollison, Jordon Ferber, Kelli Holst, and Jason Wendroff-Rawnicki. Co-host Alan Pedersen has presented programs for grieving families in over 1,600 cities, and is the former Executive Director of The Compassionate Friends. Kate Mollison, is the founder and CEO of “On Tuesdays We Wear Black.” Jordon Ferber, runs an online Compassionate Friends sibling goup, and is podcast host for Where’s the Grief. Kelli Holst, is the Founder […]

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  • Episode 229: Grief as a Teacher

    Posted on November 6, 2024 - by admin

    Is it possible to learn something from your grief? Join host Dr. Heidi Horsley and her co-host Alan Pedersen as they discuss how grief can be a teacher. Joining them are, Jason Wendroff-Rawnicki, Carin Mikos, Jan Jeremias, Bill Correll, Jordon Ferber, and Kelli Holst. Co-host Alan Pedersen has presented programs for grieving families in over 1,600 cities and is the former Executive Director for The Compassionate Friends. Jason Wendroff-Rawnicki, is a somatic therapist, who started SIBS online, a weekly peer to peer support group. Carin Mikos, is the creator of Quietus House, and podcast host for In the Gap. Jan […]

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  • Episode 228: Finding Hope in the Face of Grief

    Posted on September 27, 2024 - by admin

    Is it possible to find hope again after loss? Join Host Dr. Heidi Horsley and her guests Kelly Cervantes, Tysha Scott and Anne Smith, as they talk about their struggle to find hope in the face of grief. Kelly Cervantes daughter died just before her 4th birthday of epilepsy. She wrote the USA Today best-selling book; Normal/Broken: The Grief Companion For When It’s Time To Heal, But You’re Not Sure You Want To. Kelly has been featured on MSNBC, The NY Times, and CNN. She has been published in the Chicago Tribune, Cosmopolitan, and Fortune. Tysha Scott is the owner […]

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  • Episode 226: Navigating Life After Loss

    Posted on September 27, 2024 - by admin

    Does it feel impossible to navigate life after loss? Join host Dr. Heidi Horsley, along with her guests Dr. Sweta Vikram and Kelly Cervantes, as they speak candidly about how they navigated life after the death of their beloved family members. In the span of three days, Dr. Sweta Vikram lost her father and father-in-law, this was nine years after the death of her mother. Sweta is the best-selling author of 14 books, including her latest; The Loss That Binds Us; 108 Tips on Coping with Grief and Loss. Sweta was voted as “one of the most influential Asians of […]

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