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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Dr. Jane Simington Ph.D; Topic: Grief and Trauma
September 9, 2011
Dr. Jane Simington, Ph. D., is a grief and trauma therapist, educator and author. Her work blends knowledge with personal experiences of her child’s death. Her books, Journey to the Sacred: Mending a Fractured Soul, and Setting the Captive Free and videos, Listening to Soul Pain and Healing Soul Pain, address the deeper pain that often accompanies grief. Dr. Simington is awarded Global Television’s Woman of Vision, March 2011. https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/www.opentohope.com/files/2011/09/Jane-Simington.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Wake Me Up When September Ends
August 29, 2011
In a few short days, the month of September will be upon us. As I type these words, I can physically feel my stomach flip-flopping and a knot beginning to form. What’s wrong with September? Technically … nothing. I do enjoy the last days of summer and the soon-to-be fall weather. But my oldest daughter’s birthday and the day she died are both in the month of September. September brings up so many memories, both the good and the painful. On September 12, my Elizabeth would have been 28 years old. What would she be doing with her life? I so often […]
Deceased Grandchild Sends Dragonflies to Grandma
August 28, 2011
Synchronicity is far more than a rock album. It is the term coined by Carl Jung, a Swiss psychotherapist, to describe the phenomenon in which events are connected in such a meaningful way that their occurrence seems to defy the calculations of probability. Part of my new normal since my granddaughter was born still is that I no longer believe in coincidence. I do, however, fervently embrace the concept of synchronicity. My earliest experience of synchronicity in this particular journey of bereavement, grief and transformation occurred while my daughter-in-law was in labor. It is only in retrospect that I am […]
David Morrell; When Lightning Strikes Twice
August 25, 2011
David B. Morrell is a New York Times best-selling author of twenty-eight books, including his award-winning First Blood, which introduced the world to John Rambo. Dr. Morrell has more than eighteen million copies of his books in print. In 1986 his fifteen-year-old son, Matthew, died of bone cancer inspiring him to write, “Fireflies: A Father’s Classic Tale of Love and Loss. In 2010 he received another crushing blow when his fourteen-year old granddaughter, Natalie, died of the same disease. https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/www.opentohope.com/files/2011/08/David-Morrell_05.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Free Bird Incident: Deceased Son Gives Mom a Sign
August 22, 2011
A week or so after Danny passed, I was lying in bed, unable to bring myself to get up and get dressed. My heart was heavy and I could think of no way to lighten it. For lack of anything else to do, I opened my computer and began to look at the music that was listed in my iTunes library. My eyes immediately locked on a song by the name of “Free Bird”. I had never listened to the song or had any interest in it before. It was included in a movie sound tract that I had previously […]
Kelly Farley; Grieving Dad
August 18, 2011
Kelly Farley, lost two babes, Katie Elizabeth and Noah James, in an 18 month period due to severe genetic and chromosomal fetal anomalies. In response to his grief Kelly was surprised to find that people did not feel comfortable with an openly grieving dad. This realization inspired him to reach out and establish the Grieving Dads Project and co-sponsor the Farley-Kluger Amendment to the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993 which will extend benefits to parents that experience the death of child.” https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/www.opentohope.com/files/2011/08/Kelly-Farley_14.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Beginning of School Reminds Mom of Daughter who Died
August 18, 2011
September, the advent of fall, seems almost like a reprieve from the difficult summer months that bring with it concentration on family activities. Maybe you had in previous years rented a cabin on the lake or camped, held 4th of July picnics, days at the beach, and trips to the fair. But with the death of your child, summer can be an excruciating time of year. Therefore, with August’s demise, September is almost a breath of fresh air. There are no major holidays to contend with. Granted, the “Big 4” is on the horizon, but still far enough away not […]
The Light Switch
August 14, 2011
I was thinking today about grief and child-loss, and it occurred to me that losing a child can happen as fast as turning off a light switch. Here we are going on with our daily lives living day by day. Some are happy days, some are not so happy days, but all the time thinking our lives will always be this way. Then, as quickly as turning off a light switch, our lives are forever changed. That is how fast our lives changed when we lost our child. We were thrust into darkness, not knowing where we were going. We […]
Son’s Suicide Reorders Family’s Life
August 13, 2011
Spring forced its way into Wisconsin in an unusual way in April, 1993. It strangely marked the day with headline news: “Blizzard.” It was Easter-time…a time when the sun typically began warming the earth and tulips emerged. Outside my window a cherry tree with long, thin branches swayed in the wind. The branches loaded with spring buds supported dozens of plastic Easter eggs in bright colors suspended from ribbons. The sudden freezing rain and blizzard coated the branches heavily with ice causing them to strain and bend against the frozen weight. This bizarre scene mocked the event that had just […]
