Find hope and support by reading, listening and watching stories of spouse loss and recovery.
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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I wrote this story as a happy Christmas memory…it especially holds true since my husband passed in 2017. I found a Charlie Brown-like tree: pitiful, sparse, complete with Charlie, Snoopy, […]
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“What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls a butterfly. ” – Richard Bach Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 — To everything there is a season; And a time […]
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Excerpt from Life After Loss For Widows: Lifting the Veil of Grief You may have heard there are stages of grief we all go through. If you google it, you […]
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Sometimes after losing our spouse, it is difficult to find things to be happy about. In the early stages of our grief, finding anything good in our life requires coming […]
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This is an excerpt from Navigating 5 Life Changes: An Odyssey of Resiliency and Hope, which is available at: https://www.creativecoachingmethods.com/ “We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of […]
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This is an excerpt from Navigating 5 Life Changes: An Odyssey of Resiliency and Hope, available at: https://www.creativecoachingmethods.com/ “The world is round and the place which may seem like the […]
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This is an excerpt from Navigating 5 Life Changes: An Odyssey of Resiliency and Hope, available at: https://www.creativecoachingmethods.com/ “We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, […]
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This is an excerpt from Navigating 5 Life Changes: An Odyssey of Resiliency and Hope, which is available at: https://www.creativecoachingmethods.com/ “What lies behind us and what lies before us are […]
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This is an excerpt from Navigating 5 Life Changes: An Odyssey of Resiliency and Hope, which is available on my website: https://www.creativecoachingmethods.com/ When we hear the word odyssey what images […]
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This is an excerpt from Navigating 5 Life Changes, An Odyssey of Resiliency and Hope, which is available at https://www.creativecoachingmethods.com/ Preface to the Book A major life change has “an […]
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This is an excerpt from “Navigating 5 Life Changes,” An Odyssey of Resiliency and Hope” which is available on my website: https://www.creativecoachingmethods.com/ All Rights Reserved. First Edition. Copyright 2018 by […]
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https://www.amazon.com/Soldier-James Sesnak/dp/1733872205/ref=sr_1_1?crid=28YNX3RJYSQO&dchild=1&keywords=soldier+on+sesnak&qid=1600520693&sprefix=soldier+on%2Caps%2C211&sr=8-1 “The pain I feel now is the happiness I had before. That’s the deal.” C.S.Lewis C.S. Lewis’s memorable quote summarizes my life as I write these words. […]
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This is an excerpt from the book: Coping with Grief: A Guide for the Bereaved Survivor by Bob Baugher. You can order it at: www.bobbaugher.com One of the most […]
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SCENE I I awoke with a start; I had been buried in a dream, but a sound reached in and pulled me out abruptly. Was it a thump? Raising up […]
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This is an excerpt from Embracing Life After Loss: A Gentle Guide for Growing Through Grief by Allen Klein. Available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Embracing-Life-After-Loss-Growing/dp/1642500062/ref=sr_1_1?crid=330F5I7PHDK96&keywords=embracing+life+after+loss+klein&qid=1579904828&sprefix=Embracing+lif%2Caps%2C219&sr=8-1 Life is risky; we are all […]
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The holidays are a time of togetherness and family traditions. It’s even been dubbed the “most wonderful time of the year.” But for many in the widowed community, it can […]
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It’s been many years, many miles, and many tears since the early, raw days of being widowed. The life I am living now is one I would never have recognized […]
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Men need support after the loss of a spouse, and one way to get it is to create a team of people who can coach you. I refer to them […]
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What do Tom Brady, Wayne Gretzky, Michael Jordan, and Derek Jeter all have in common? We could start with a considerable amount of athletic ability. Each has been recognized as […]
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As someone who has had a near death and past life experience, I know the truth about what we call death. When my wife died 18 months ago, the incredible […]
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Excerpt from Life After Loss For Widows: Lifting the Veil of Grief I remember this one incident so well. A little over a year after losing Randy, I was enrolling […]
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Grieving men are misunderstood. And for a good reason. After all, men don’t believe they have permission to grieve in the first place. When a man experiences a loss, they […]
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What is the story you tell yourself about your loss? Even as a child, I understood the power of stories. Through words, I could escape into worlds far, far away. […]
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1. You Can Go On Even When You Feel Like Giving Up I honestly didn’t think I’d survive the first month of being widowed, yet here I am… 88 months […]
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Becoming widowed is a gut-wrenching experience. It brings so much sadness and loneliness to our lives. It takes a huge adjustment to get through those days along the grief journey. […]
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Feeling stressed about upcoming holidays? Join Dr. Gloria and Dr. Heidi Horsley for tips and tools on handling special days during stressful times. https://www.opentohope.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Dr.-Heidi-and-Dr.-Gloria-Horsley-Avoiding-Thanksgiving-Grief-Blues.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | […]
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Having lost her only sibling, mother, and most recently her husband, Jennifer O’Brien encourages compassionate, real conversation about caregiving and end of life through her book, The Hospice Doctor’s Widow: […]
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Are you afraid you will never be happy again? Join Chelsea Hanson, a leading grief expert and educator, who will discuss “joy blocks” and ways to overcome them. Chelsea presents […]
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As a single parent are you wondering how to raise your bereaved children? Richard Ballo was a stay-at-home parent and journalist caring for two little boys when his wife, Lisa, […]
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Soaring Spirits has one goal; to connect widowed people with each other. As an organization, our leaders have personally experienced the power of the words, “Me, too.” We have felt […]
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The International Day of Hope and Healing After Loss, this is a first-of-a-kind, virtual experience bringing together major organizations and leaders in the field devoted to supporting the bereaved. Our […]
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After losing his wife, Michelle in 2016 he found his passion with helping others through their pain. John writes, coaches and speaks on grief, healing, dating, relationships, personal growth and […]
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Rob asks about what to do with his stuff and his partners after the death of their spouses. They want to move in together, but where do they start? https://www.opentohope.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Dr-Gloria-and-Dr-Heidi-Horsley-After-the-Death-of-a-Spouse-What-About-the-Stuff.mp3Podcast: […]
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Elena Schwolsky is a nurse, community health educator, activist, and bereaved spouse. She lost her husband to AIDS in 1990. Struggling to find meaning she visited Cuba where she […]
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Robert Zucker and Teresa Weybrew share their story of love after Robert’s wife died and Teresa’s life partner. They share their struggles and hopes. https://www.opentohope.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Finding-Love-After-Loss-with-Robert-Zucker-and-Teresa-Weybrew.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | […]
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Nichole Stangel, MA, MS, LPC, NCC, CT, is the Bereavement Coordinator/CISM Coordinator at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. Chair of the Southeast WI Grief Network, a leader and educator for Traumatic […]
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Paula Meyer and Denise Dielwart are bereaved widows who collaborate to help other widows get back in the game of life in months not years. Denise is collaborating with Paula […]
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Larry M. Barber is a minister, licensed professional counselor, and certified thanatologist (specialist in the study of death, dying and bereavement). His interest in the field of death and bereavement […]
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Jan Warner created Grief Speaks Out, an online community that offers support and strength to over two and a half million “Grief Warriors” around the world. A “Grief Warrior” herself, […]
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Niles Finch is an actor and Celebrity Ambassador for a CaringHand and is spokesperson for Katie’s Club. In 2013 Niles’ father, Frederick, was diagnosed with lupus nephritis and passed away […]
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Dave is a bereaved spouse who uses his life experience to introduce successful people to themselves. He helps them balance health and happiness with significant achievement. He shows them how […]
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Claire Bidwell Smith is a licensed therapist specializing in grief and the author of several books about grief and loss. The Rules of Inheritance was a Barnes & Noble Discover […]
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At The National Alliance for Grieving Children, 23rd Annual Symposium on Children’s Grief; Juli Friedman talks about finding support for she and her son after the death of her husband. […]
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Michele Neff Hernandez is the founder and executive director of Soaring Spirits International, an international widowed peer-support network which has served over three million widowed people over the past ten […]
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At The National Alliance for Grieving Children, 23rd Annual Symposium on Children’s Grief; Jenny Lisk talks about parenting after the loss of a spouse. https://www.opentohope.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/A-Grieving-Mom-with-Jenny-Lisk.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | […]
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Dr. Gloria and Dr. Heidi discuss the different ways people grieve and respecting your grief style as well as the grief styles of others. https://www.opentohope.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Honoring-Your-Grief-with-Dr.-Gloria-and-Dr.-Heidi-Horsley.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | […]
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At The National Alliance for Grieving Children, 23rd Annual Symposium on Children’s Grief; Lisa A Fife explains that you are not alone in your grief, other’s have been there too […]
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At age twenty-six, after the tragic suicide of his pregnant wife, Abel Keogh unexpectedly found himself a young widower and bereaved parent. Abel is a remarried and a relationship coach […]
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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.
