Open to Hope Articles
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Episode #18: Grief Tool Box
August 20, 2013
Grief Relief Television brought to you by the Open to Hope Foundation. On This show grief experts Mitch Carmody, Tanya Lord, and Glen Lord discuss the deaths of their children and how they have coped. They give tips to the bereaved on coping with loss. Grief experts Alan Pedersen and Mitch Carmody close the show with Mitch using sign language to sign to Alan’s song “.
Just Let Me Be Sad: A Response to the Stigma of Grief
August 15, 2013
We live in a world where – if you have the means – pain and suffering are to be avoided at all costs. We are always looking for the next “quick fix” to alleviate discomfort with the least amount of effort required. In many cases, this means treating the symptoms while ignoring the root cause of the problem. In the United States, we live in a society so uncomfortable with emotional pain that when someone dies, society expects the outward mourning period to end once the funeral is over. When the bereaved do not cooperate with these prescribed time tables, […]
Robin Lentz Worgan: Still Birth
August 8, 2013
Robin Lentz Worgan began writing after her first pregnancy ended in miscarriage. The stillbirth of her third child, Margaret, led her to write Journaling Away Mommy’s Grief: A Book and a Journal for Mother’s after Stillbirth or Infant Loss, a self-help and memoir. Robin is a freelance writer, speaker, peer counselor, mother, and teacher. https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/audio.opentohope.com/2013/07/Robin-Lentz.1.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
How to Support Family and Friends Facing Child Loss
August 2, 2013
Child death is one of those awful things that no one likes to think or talk about, but the sad truth is that many parents face it every day. When a child dies, there is often a well of support from family, friends and the broader community in light of the tragedy. People band together to assist the bereaved family, but beyond delivered meals and help around the house, family and friends are often unsure of how to continue supporting the bereaved parents and surviving children. As a bereaved parent myself, I observed as family members and friends struggled to […]
Surviving the Isolation of Grief: A Mother’s Story
July 30, 2013
I’ve never been a stranger to the isolation that comes from feeling like you just don’t fit into your surroundings. But I never felt as isolated in my whole life as I did after the death of my daughter. A History of Isolation As a child, I was a shy, introverted person and often felt different than the people around me. At the time, I never really knew why. While I didn’t like the feeling of isolation, I didn’t understand what caused it so it just became a fact of life. Over the years my shyness has lessened, but I […]
Glen Lord: Your Grief Tool Box
July 18, 2013
After the death of his son Noah, Glen Lord joined The Compassionate Friends and now serves on the board. He founded The Grief Tool Box, a resource for the bereaved. He is also the executive producer of the Walking Through Grief DVD series and the Grief Support Group Toolkit. https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/audio.opentohope.com/2013/06/Glen-lord_02.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
What We Can Learn From Angelina Jolie — About Suicide
July 18, 2013
I was reading Angelina’s op-ed piece in the New York Times, on her decision to have a double mastectomy to reduce her risk of breast cancer. The fact that she shared her story was both courageous and inspiring. Why did she want to share her story and not keep it private, a move that’s been called heroic by many? She knew that by stepping through any fear or stigma that surrounds the “C” word… she would not only inspire women to take action and be proactive with their health, but to also shed light about the genetic testing and the […]
The Compassionate Friends National Conference and Sharing My Story
July 12, 2013
Last weekend I attended The Compassionate Friends national conference in Boston. Bereaved parents and families shared their stories at the conference. My daughter died from the injuries she received in a car crash. I was amazed at how many other families mourned children who also died in car crashes. I shared my story and coping tips in two workshops and am already thinking about the workshop proposals I will submit for next year’s TCF conference in Chicago. Sharing stories makes bereaved family members feel “normal” and gives them strength for the days ahead. You may share your story in writing, […]
The Fear of Forgetting
July 12, 2013
Since my daughter died just after turning four years old, one of my biggest fears has been that she will be forgotten. But lately, I’ve been asking myself: What does that really mean? What am I really scared of? The idea that she will be forgotten is actually two separate fears. The first is that due to the notion of “out of sight, out of mind,” friends and even family will stop thinking of her and, in essence, “forget her”. In reality, this is the natural course of life. I have beloved relatives and dear friends who have passed, and […]
