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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Happiness May Come as a Surprise
January 25, 2012
Blunt force trauma are three words no parent ever wants to hear. Certainly, not me. After my daughter died in 2007 from the injuries she received in a car crash, I didn’t think I would ever be happy again. Years passed, I continued with my grief work, and read extensively about loss, grief and recovery. I wrote grief resources as well. A year ago, while I was writing at the computer, I suddenly realized I was happy — a surprising thought. My happiness came in tiny drops like rain. First, feeling happy for a moment, then for several moments, days, […]
Suicide Survivor Seeks Solace
January 17, 2012
Suzanne, the mother of a young woman who died from suicide, gave me permission to share her article. — Carol Loehr It has now been two years (November 16, 2009) since my sweet Jessica died from suicide. Each day, I fight back the tears of her loss and try to “get on with life,” but late at night I find the tears rolling at will down my face. I have been reading web posts about suicide, and I can’t help but feel for the other survivors of suicide who open their hearts and share about their loved one lost. It is […]
Extraordinary Experience: Signs from Beyond
January 11, 2012
Let me emphasize at the outset that I have been trained in the scientific method and hold a dutiful respect for science. However, I have no doubt whatsoever that many bereaved people receive signs or messages from their deceased loved ones or a Supreme being that helps them deal with their losses and reinvest in life. I was not brought up in a world of the extraordinary and have had no yen for the unfamiliar or the unknown. But all of that changed in 1981 when a 64 year-old woman came to me with a story of unusual clarity and […]
The End of Grief: ‘Are We There Yet?’
January 8, 2012
As I open the new 2012 calendar I purchased at the mall, I think about where I have been and where I am going. Is my life what I thought it would be? Absolutely not! Not since the death of my 20-year-old son, Clint, 6 1/2 years ago. After Clint died, I knew I wanted to find some way to make a good life for my family and myself. I was not sure how we would get to our new normal, but that was the goal. Many times I have asked myself the phrase many moms and dads have heard […]
Making Decisions that Would Make my Daughter Proud of Me
January 5, 2012
For many, the approaching new year is a time for resolutions. But these resolutions often start out strong and wane. Instead of making resolutions, I decided to focus on a different concept. In 2012 I would try to make decisions that would make my daughter proud of me. Though this concept could be applied to the three other family members who died in 2007, I decided to limit it to my daughter. I was reluctant to share this idea with my husband, but finally did, and he approved wholeheartedly. After our grandchildren lost both parents in separate car crashes, the […]
Sara Ruble; Trusting Love…Even in Death
January 5, 2012
Sara Ruble is a bereaved mom whose only child, Scott, died suddenly at age nineteen. Her life would never be the same. A sign came the day after Scott’s funeral and once again, Sara was forever changed. Through his many signs, they forged a bond very early on. She began writing, only to learn fifteen years later that Scott had been bringing Sara the words. Her soon to be published book is My Child…Your Death…Our Love. https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/audio.opentohope.com/2012/07/Sara-Ruble_02.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Creating Positive Affirmations for a New Year
January 1, 2012
Losing four family members in 2007 changed my thinking. I wondered if I would survive multiple losses. More worrisome, I wondered if I would ever be happy again. It didn’t take long for me to realize I needed an attitude adjustment. Somehow, I had to turn my negative thoughts to positive ones. I began to write affirmations. Once I started, I couldn’t stop. Affirmations came to me in the car, at the grocery store, and while I was fixing meals. At first, I wrote the affirmations in my mind. But I wrote so many affirmations I started a computer file […]
The Circle of Life, the Spirit of Hope
January 1, 2012
After eleven long hours of pain, there she was─chestnut brown hair, vivid blue eyes, cute pug nose, round face and full lips. She was so beautiful. It was instant love. I knew in that moment that my life would never be the same again. The circle of life had begun. The year was 1970, and her name was Erika. She was my only child. I was a happy, contented mother. Erika was everything to me─my meaning and purpose in life. We traveled through our lives together, never taking our gift of love for granted. Thirty years had flown by, and […]
From ‘I’m Tired’ to ‘I’m Glad’
December 30, 2011
I’m tired of starting the day without you. I’m tired of waiting for the call that never comes. I’m tired of coming home to an empty house. I’m tired of sleeping alone. I’m tired of having no one to tuck in at night. I’m tired of seeing happy families. I’m so tired of feeling alone. I’m so tired of hearing this too shall pass. I’m just so tired of my life. When someone we love dies, we are left to endure so many things. Their death is the big obvious one but slowly we begin to realize there is so […]
