Open to Hope Articles
Do you want to read stories of others who have been where you are? Are you looking for bereavement help, and advice? Look no further. We offer over 3,000 articles written by our Open to Hope authors.
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Many Widows Need to Spruce Up Resumes
February 17, 2009
By Sandra Pesmen — It’s possible that as a widow, you suddenly need to find a job, or upgrade the one you have for more pay and benefits. In either case, remember that your old resume probably won’t work in today’s world. If you haven’t updated it lately, it probably lacks power and punch and isn’t even suited to the “new workplace” that’s dominated by youth, computer wizards, and the Internet information. One guide to updating it is the new book, 30-Minute Resume Makeover: Rev Up Your Old Resume in Half an Hour, by Louise Kursmark (Jist Works $9.95). Kursmark’s […]
Journaling My Grief Experience
February 15, 2009
By Beverly Chantalle McManus My birthday took place a week after Steve died. Although I did not feel like celebrating, my family members thoughtfully brought some gifts over, one of which was a journal. At the time, I gave it little thought. I was so consumed with grief, shock and pain, and the idea of sitting down to write couldn’t have been further from my mind. However, a few months later, as I began to settle into my new life without Steve, I started panicking at times, because given how my entire memory bank now seemed to be completely fragmented, […]
Elaine Williams: Living After the Death of a Husband
February 12, 2009
Elaine shares her story of hope after losing her husband, she is the mother of three boys and author of Journey Well Taken. https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/audio.opentohope.com/2010/11/Elaine-Williams-021209-Going-on-After-the-Death-of-a-Husband.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Helga Hayse: Financial Well-Being as a Widow
February 12, 2009
Helga Hayse talks about her book Don’t Worry About a Thing, Dear where she shares how a widow can cope with finances after the death of a spouse. https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/audio.opentohope.com/2010/10/Helga-Hayse-Financial-Planning-After-the-Death-of-a-Spouse.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
From Heartbreak to Happiness
February 11, 2009
(Note: “From Heartbreak To Happiness” reprinted with permission by Aurora Winter) Most of us are looking for love in all the wrong places. When a relationship ends, whether it be through divorce, death, or break-up, most people rush out to find someone new. I know — I have done it myself! After my 33-year-old husband died suddenly, I yearned to find a new husband … and someone to be a father figure for our four-year-old son. But the truth is, we can’t just plop a new person into the hole in our hearts left by the loss of someone we […]
Getting Through Valentine’s Day Alone
February 11, 2009
By Kira B. Copperman, LMSW — As Valentine’s Day approaches, we are all bombarded with images of romance, relationships and love. Starting as early as January, it seems like every business has something to sell related to romance and is trying to capitalize on and add to the societal pressure created to make February 14th a magical day. For those people who are in love, Valentine’s Day can be a wonderful, memorable celebration but for people who are alone, it can be a difficult, endless day. As Valentine’s Day approaches, negative feelings about being alone may seem unavoidable; sad thoughts […]
Affectionately Remembering a Valentine’s Day ‘Scrooge’
February 6, 2009
By Michele Neff Hernandez — My husband used to call Valentine’s Day “So What Day.’” Romantic, huh? He thought that greeting cards were a waste of trees, that buying flowers because someone told you to defeated the purpose, and that going to dinner on the big day just to eat from a limited menu and have servers anxiously awaiting your departure from the table was ridiculous. I will admit that we fought about this on a few occasions. Who wants to be the only girl in the office who didn’t get flowers? Eventually, we settled into our own brand of […]
‘I Buy Myself a Dozen Cream Roses’
January 26, 2009
By Audrey Stringer — That first Valentine’s Day after Rhod died was very difficult for me. This had been our special day and now he was gone. He died on Feb 6, 1999 and eight days later it was Valentine’s Day! I was angry! I was sad. I was lonely. In our 30 years together, Rhod always showered me with gifts and little surprises. On one occasion, he gave me a toy shaped like a heart with diamond earrings attached to it. Every year, he gave me a gigantic card with beautiful words along with a beautiful bouquet of flowers […]
How Vice President Joe Biden Dealt With Grief
January 23, 2009
On November 7, 1972 a relatively unknown lawyer named Joe Biden pulled off a big political upset. By just over 3,000 votes he defeated two-term incumbent U.S. Senator J. Caleb Boggs and, at age 30, became the sixth youngest Senator in U.S. history. Despite the amazing victory, he almost never took the oath of office. On December 18, 1972 while Biden was in Washington D.C. looking at his new office, his wife, Neilia, took their three children shopping for a Christmas tree. They were involved in a fatal automobile accident. Neilia and his infant daughter, Naomi, were killed. His two […]
