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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Webinar-Putting the Zing Back in Your Life After the Death of a Child
February 14, 2011
Ron Villano joins Dr Gloria and Dr Heidi for this exciting webinar. Ron, a motivational speaker and father talks about his loss and how he went on to find joy!
Unconditional Love: Our Hope For Immortality
February 14, 2011
Hope in the dictionary sense means cherishing something with the anticipation of fulfillment. Hope connotes confidence, even assurance. As each of us allow in hope, a natural unfolding takes place. While it is true that the only thing that is constant is change, when we come back to our higher essential qualities, we actually experience that which is constant and unchanging and underlies all else. To me, this means unconditional, enduring love. This is the ultimate hope and the ultimate assurance of our immortality! This is what this contribution is all about. As you read this article, do give yourself […]
Poem: 30 Years of Marriage and Loss
February 13, 2011
Young love Hopes and dreams First born son Joy New home Second son Joy Pets: hamsters, fish, cats, dogs, ducks, rabbit Death of grandparents Sports: practices, uniforms and games Birthday parties Friends Zoo Family vacations Videos games, computers and new electronics Death of parents Malls and shopping Graduations and Jobs Struggles Shock: the death of precious youngest son PAIN Deep Anguish Anger and regrets Weeping One day at a time New daughter-in-law Re-investment New normal and a new hope Love Debra Reagan 2011
Sharing Pain is a Gateway to Hope
February 12, 2011
After my daughter Jeannine died almost eight years ago, I examined and re-examined my existing values, beliefs and priorities. This process was made extremely challenging by the raw pain of my early grief. I am a different person, and in many ways, a better person as a result of my struggle with Jeannine’s death. I have also learned some important lessons about unconditional love, faith, and the enduring power of relationships: The more that we allow the universe to guide us, the more that our redefined purpose becomes clearer. Surrendering to the journey has allowed me to increasingly surrender my […]
Gordon Smith; Remembering Garrett
February 10, 2011
Gordon Smith is a two time Senator from Oregon and currently president of the National Broadcasting Association. On September 8, 2003, Garrett, then a 21 year old college student committed suicide. Smith wrote a book entitled Remembering Garrett, One Family’s Battle with a Child’s Depression.[5] In 2004, President George W. Bush signed the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act, authorizing $82 million for suicide-prevention and awareness programs at colleges. https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/audio.opentohope.com/2011/01/OTH_Gordon-Smith_11_22_10.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Movie Review: ‘Rabbit Hole’
February 7, 2011
Finally, a movie has been released that shows how the death of a child traumatizes a whole family. It has taken a very long time to try to portray accurately the toll such an event takes on everyone involved: parents, siblings (if any), grandparents, other relatives and friends. Until the 1980s, the death of a child was kept hidden under the table. No one ever spoke about it because no one was ever educated as to how to react when it happened. Thank God for books, for Harriett Schiff’s first attempt to explain what you will go through if it ever […]
Honoring a Deceased Child on Valentine’s Day
February 7, 2011
Valentine’s Day is a day for love, and a day to celebrate with those you love. It’s also another holiday to remember your child, who can no longer celebrate with you. It is a difficult day for all of us who grieve the loss of our child or children. So I say, embrace Valentine’s Day as a special day to commemorate your child and celebrate your love for him or her. Death may end our child’s life, but it does not end the relationship we had and still have. Bonds of love are never severed by death, nor is the love we shared with […]
Silence of Grief is Epidemic
February 2, 2011
Approximately 33,300 people take their own lives every year, leaving behind loved ones desperate to understand why this happened. I, too, was left with endless questions after the suicide of my 18-year-old son. My previous exposure to grief-related material left me offended and unsettled. Much of what I consumed expressed a very watered down explanation of what I was actually experiencing. I wasn’t sure if I was being lied to, tricked or was hypersensitive and over-reactive. Either way, I was absolutely unprepared for the many faces of grief. How could something as epidemic as grief be treated as not a […]
Grateful for Grief: Seasons of Transformation
February 2, 2011
Monique Antionette’s book, Grateful for Grief: Seasons of Transformation, is available on her website.
