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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Dissonance in the Land of the Hereafter — Part II
April 27, 2011
I remember exactly when my son, Galen, was conceived – October 14th, 1990. I know where I was, what I had been doing that day and I remember how one week later I received a dream about a young man preparing himself to be born. Was this Galen? I have actually never asked him, but on some level unknown to my conscious mind, I had a connection with this man. He was down on one knee stacking books he wanted to go over before he returned to earth. If you have been reading my articles here on the Open to […]
Coming out of the Wilderness of Loss
April 24, 2011
This has been a long Easter season and as we are accustomed to bringing in the newness of life during this season, it is also a great time to let go of the lingering resentments of anger and confusion that comes with grieving the loss of a child. Holding on to great memories and letting go of hurt, resentment, and hatred, if any is living in your soul, is always what bereaved parents are advised to pursue and hopefully achieve. My beloved daughter was killed one week after Easter in 2005, which was an unusually early Easter season. This year […]
Mother Gradually Recovers from an Easter Loss
April 24, 2011
Judy Marquette lost her son on Easter eight years ago. For her, this time of year is especially difficult. Spring sets in and new life is gifted in abundance. It is a time when families gather to enjoy one another and, depending on religious beliefs, offer tribute to the remembrance and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Given her life-altering loss, Judy’s outlook is remarkable. She has renewed and strengthened her faith in God and learned to live again with purpose in the aftermath. She has channeled her sorrow into the creative outlet of music. I interviewed her recently, and this is […]
Easter Surprise Helps Mom Heal from Child-Loss
April 23, 2011
On October 25, 1989, my fourteen-year-old son Shawn was struck by a car and died. When the coroner came to our door to tell us, I felt like he’d stuck a knife in my heart. I wanted so badly for him to be at the wrong house talking about the wrong kid. But he wasn’t and the nightmare began. I don’t remember much about those first few weeks and months. I do remember how hard it seemed to breathe. I kept waiting for the nightmare to end. It didn’t. I didn’t suddenly wake up and see my son sleeping in […]
Webinar-Easter; Where is God After Loss?
April 18, 2011
Pastor Dennis Apple speaks with Dr. Gloria Horsley about death and wondering where God is? Dennis Apple is the bereaved dad of Denny, age 18, who died in 1991 after a brief illness. Dennis counsels couples and individuals who are grieving the loss of a loved one. He serves as staff pastor at College Church of Nazarene in Oathe, Kansas where he lives with his wife, Buelah. He is the author of Life After the Death of My Son: What I am Learning.
Running From Pain Doesn’t Work
April 18, 2011
I tried to run away from you. I did. I thought that if I ran fast, I would be able to escape the pain I feel over losing you. It worked for a little while. Maybe a month or two. But how can you run away from this kind of love, from this kind of longing? I realize now that it doesn’t work to run away from you and deny that you were and still are such a huge part of my life. It only causes more pain. So I need to embrace my loss and, yes, even embrace the pain. Doing […]
Butterflies Offers Sign from Beyond
April 17, 2011
We buried our 20-year old daughter, Elizabeth, on a bright, sunny, warm September day. If only that sun would break through the shock and disbelief of what that day brought. Why God, why? Elizabeth was supposed to bury me. A parent should never have to bury a child. A year earlier, we had packed her up and taken her to her dream college, the University of Minnesota. We had never seen her so happy. She was living in an exciting metropolitan area, she was getting good grades and she was making many diverse friends … all goals she had set […]
Prayer Registry Builds Hope and Community
April 15, 2011
My son Danny passed on July 1, 2008, from an overdose of alcohol and prescription drugs. He was 22 years old, a beautiful mountain of a kid with his whole life ahead of him, gone in an instant due to an error in judgment. The day after he passed, while lying in bed not knowing what to do with myself, I sent out a mass email to everyone in my email address book, stating briefly that my son Dan had passed of an overdose and I asked everyone to please send him a prayer. It was kind of an instinctual […]
We Can’t Get Through Grief with Logic
April 13, 2011
Time heals what reason cannot. — Seneca We think in terms of time and much is said about it after a loss. “He was so young to run out of time.” “Her time was up way to soon.” “He was with them such a short time.” People ask how much time does it take for the pain to be over? When will it ease? How long does it take to feel normal again? This is the thing about death, the nut of the nut, as a poet once wrote. You will never get over the loss of a child with […]
