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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A Widow Asks: What Does He Think of Me Now?
January 13, 2009
By Mie Elmhirst I had a lovely holiday this year. Nothing really big happened. My daughter Anneke and I baked bread, we told each other silly stories about what presents the other was getting, we made soup, went to a movie, hugged a lot and we celebrated our family. Our very small family. We were enough. I had enormous gratitude as I remembered where we were eight and nine years ago, when we were trying to keep our heads above water as we watched our husband/father die, and then as we struggled to learn how to live without him. But […]
Dr Robin Goodman: Public Grief after Traumatic Loss
January 1, 2009
Stevie, Susan & Dr Robin Goodman talk about 9/11, traumatic loss and grieving with the public. https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/audio.opentohope.com/2009/01/Esposito,_Lambardo,_Goodman.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Is This Your Last Christmas Together?
December 23, 2008
Do you feel this is the last Christmas with your spouse or parent? Maybe your loved one has just been placed in hospice–or maybe you just know. You have that feeling. Perhaps you or your loved one is facing a cancer diagnosis, or you’re at the end stages of Alzheimer’s or heart disease. This can put a cloud over the festivities. It’s hard to get in the holiday mood while your kitchen counter is filled with medicine bottles–and not gingerbread men. It gets tiring when you worry about what you say or do being “the last.” Everything drips with meaning. You’re standing […]
Widow’s Brother-in-Law Keeps Imposing
December 22, 2008
From a reader named Kathy: My husband died 11 years ago.? His brother recently bought a home a few doors down the street from me.? He stops in, uninvited, frequently.? He has never been married.? I have three adult children, two of whom are living with me because of job situations.? Sometimes, he lets himself in when no one is home.? And he brings his undisciplined dog.
I invite him for Thanksgiving dinner, along with my Mom, aunt and children.? I have been inviting him on Christmas Eve too, along with my children, but no one else.? I’m tired of it.? I do not want him here on Christmas Eve. He recently fell from a ladder and is using crutches.? Am I responsible for taking care of him?? He has another brother and sister-in-law living nearby. What exactly is my relationship to him?? Please help me.? I want my freedom, and privacy.
The Phoenix
December 15, 2008
The Phoenix: I sit here alone. My husband, 40 years of age and in the prime of his life ended his life last year by suicide. I feel like I am just beginning to emerge from some dark fog that has held my heart, soul and mind prisoner. Today, I sit alone, one child away on a date, one at a friend’s house. A few years back I could have never imagined this would be my life, but here I am alone. I have often referred to my life on this journey of grief as being thrown in a fire. […]
Widow’s Friends Disown Her After She Finds New Love
December 9, 2008
Anne writes: I lost my dad and husband within a week of each other?three years ago, and life has been a battle. My dearest friends (a couple that my husband and I used to do everything with) won’t accept the fact I am seeing another man and have been for nearly two years. The husband told me the other day never to come back and see them. I have given them space and continue to love and support them, Please help. I am just so sad about it. I have tried talking to them but they won’t. I am also their daughter’s godmother and she is heart-broken her parents are doing this. Help me.
