Loss of a Family Member

After Loss of a spouse

Find hope and support by reading, listening and watching stories of spouse loss and recovery.

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  • Open to hope

    Second Holiday Without Your Spouse Harder Than First

    Posted on December 12, 2021 - by Peggy Bell

    It’s the holiday season again. People told you last year the first without your spouse would be the most difficult. But here it is, another year past, and the second […]

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  • Open to hope

    Widows Wonder: Where Was God When I Needed Him?

    Posted on November 27, 2021 - by Kim Knight

    My friend Margie asked me one day if I was angry with God over my husband Dale’s death. Sad? Yes. Angry? No. It made me think, though. I’ve talked to […]

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  • Open to hope

    ‘Perfect Widow’ Asks: Who Am I Now?

    Posted on November 27, 2021 - by Kim Knight

    Widow Asks: Who Am I Now? Who am I now? Who am I really? It’s a question nearly everyone grapples with at some point in life—when you retire, after you […]

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  • Open to hope

    Surviving the Shock of Widowhood

    Posted on November 27, 2021 - by Kim Knight

    The Shock of Widowhood In the course of a day, my husband, Dale, stepdad to my two children, business partner, best friend, and—truly—the most interesting person I have ever known, […]

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  • Open to hope

    The Day My Old Life Ended

    Posted on November 27, 2021 - by Jenny Lisk

    My Old Life Ended When you finally arrive home on a Friday evening — one kid in tow, the other successfully deposited with the Boy Scouts for the weekend — […]

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  • After 30 Years, Still Not Over It

    Posted on October 22, 2021 - by Mike Bernhardt

    Many Years Later, Still Not Over It When a bereavement counselor or group facilitator meets us for the first time to support us in our grief, the first question they […]

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  • Get a Grief Buddy

    Posted on September 8, 2021 - by Harriet Hodgson

    Get a Grief Buddy Many grief books and articles say it’s important to tell your story. Indeed, telling your story is a forward step on the healing path. And one […]

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  • Open to hope

    How to Help a Dying Spouse

    Posted on August 8, 2021 - by Fred Colby

    How Can We Help a Dying Spouse? There are so many ways to help a dying spouse. When my wife, Theresa, was in the hospital, one incident made me realize […]

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  • Open to hope

    Dealing with Guilt While Grieving

    Posted on July 18, 2021 - by Peggy Bell

    The road of grief is paved with many emotions. You can experience denial, shock, anger, fear, depression, and bargaining and guilt. You may not feel all of them, but one […]

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  • Open to hope

    Helping a Widower After the Loss

    Posted on July 18, 2021 - by Fred Colby

    This article on helping a widower is excerpted from Widower to Widower, by Fred Colby. Purchase it on Amazon. Advice on Helping a Widower This portion of the book is […]

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  • Open to hope

    Healing Grief Through Nature

    Posted on July 18, 2021 - by Michelle Kaisersatt

    The Cancer Diagnosis At thirty wonderful years of marriage, my husband and I were revisiting the honeymoon stage. Kids enjoying their own adult lives, and us looking forward to adventures […]

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  • Open to hope

    From Married to Widowed: Can You Know How I Feel?

    Posted on June 14, 2021 - by Gary Sturgis

    From Married to Widowed Shortly after the death of my spouse, I was filling out a form at the bank. One of the questions was what my “status” was. In […]

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  • ‘Why Me?’: Surviving Partner Loss

    Posted on June 14, 2021 - by Gary Sturgis

    Daily Reminder of Surviving Partner Loss   I was at the post office picking up the mail a couple of weeks after my loss. It was always such a painful […]

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  • What to Do With a Loved One’s Possessions

    Posted on May 21, 2021 - by Rachel Kodanaz

    Definition of Loved One’s Possessions Until Rod’s passing, I was unaware of the true significance of a personal possession – something belonging just to you, something that doesn’t have meaning […]

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  • Tips for Dealing with a Spouse’s Belongings

    Posted on May 1, 2021 - by Peggy Bell

    A difficult task to tackle after losing your spouse is dealing with the spouse’s belongings: what to keep and what to give away. It is such an emotional decision. You […]

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  • TCF Keynote

    Finding Hope After Spouse Loss

    Posted on March 14, 2021 - by Gloria Horsley

    Hard to believe it has been five months since my husband Phil, passed away of a staph infection post back surgery.  Phil loved Open to Hope and all the wonderful […]

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  • Valentine’s Question: When Should I Start Dating Again?

    Posted on February 11, 2021 - by Bob Baugher

    Excerpt from the book Surviving Widowhood: Suggestions from Widowed People to You for Coping with the Death of Your Husband, Wife or Partner by Elaine Eggebraaten, John Hanson, Lori Keller, Tally R. Reynolds, Suzan Styer, […]

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  • Cooking with Love: My First Valentine’s Day After My Husband’s Death

    Posted on February 11, 2021 - by Linda Freudenberger

    He Was a Chef My husband used to say, “I cook for a living, but you cook with love.”  When our girls were 4 and 6, I decided to make […]

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  • Assembling My Grief Survival Kit: What’s In Yours?

    Posted on January 15, 2021 - by Harriet Hodgson

    My husband died two weeks ago, but I had been preparing for his death a long time. I was my husband’s caregiver and watched him summon courage when he learned […]

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