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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Couple Grieves Lost Child at Different Pace
January 31, 2011
I could feel the pressure, my skin becoming tight, my breath shallow and cold, the room too full of her memory. And I would go, from corner to corner, wall to wall, choosing, oh so carefully, the pictures to be put away. I nestled them in drawers between spare candle holders, foreign coins, old crayons and the like, possibly useful objects that will someday be stored in the attic. I would never send them straight to “storage” without having them rest in the holding place first, the place that gives me the illusion of possibility, and with that, accessibility. She […]
‘Arms of God’: Bereaved Mom Questions, Affirms Faith
January 29, 2011
Having just experienced the miracle birth of my daughter, followed by the devastating blow of her death, I found myself unable to pray. Prayer had sustained me during the difficult pregnancy wrought with uncertainties. Early in the pregnancy, we discovered that our baby had a fatal chromosomal defect known as trisomy 18. Reeling at the devastating news, I clung to God like never before. “Lord, please let me hold my baby alive,” I pleaded. “Please give me peace and strength to endure the journey ahead.” Prayer after prayer I lifted to the Father. And day after day He lifted me. […]
Dancing in the Rain: Finding Joy in the Midst of the Storm
January 28, 2011
Cindy Shufflebarger’s book, Dancing in the Rain, is available on Amazon.
Gratitude in Grief-Finding Daily Joy and a Life of Purpose Following the Death of My Son
January 23, 2011
Gratitude In Grief chronicles a mother’s journey into the unimaginable, the death of her son. The book is a personal journal of reflection in the days following the death, and the unexpected approach she took in dealing with her grief that changed her forever. To the surprise of many, this mother made a choice to look for “one little thing” to be thankful for each day while coping with her loss. This daily gratitude changed the process of her grief, but also sparked a reflection on life, purpose and faith that has changed the author forever. By documenting the events […]
Poem: Music In Mourning
January 18, 2011
~~Music in Mourning~~ Oh how misery sings to me, in wailing moans of agony. With shrieks and groans as overtones, within a dismal symphony. And woe; it rings from somber strings, and echoes with the winds. It rumbles like a perpetual storm, amidst weeping violins. And lo, how confounding it can be. Deciphering tones that lack rhythm and flow, and trumpet the disharmony. And though, it plays for me alone, the constant mournful steady drone, is an endless tribute unto thee. John French 2011 =
After Someone Dies, Can We Still Live in Joy?
January 16, 2011
It was September of 2003, and my daughter, Elizabeth, who had just turned 20, was beginning her sophomore year at the University of Minnesota. During the early morning hours of Saturday, September 20th, a fire broke out in her duplex, and she and two roommates died of smoke inhalation. The question I’m often asked is how can you find joy when you have suffered such a devastating loss? The answer is simple, yet complex. It is a journey and not a destination. I wouldn’t be where I am today had God, or The Universe as I like to call it, […]
Giving Yourself Away – A Source of Comfort When You’re Grieving
January 11, 2011
My daughter loved Thanksgiving and Christmas. Thanksgiving was special because she was born on this day. Christmas gave her a chance to give to others, even though she had little money. In her younger years, when she didn’t have twins to care for and her job as an engineer, family members often received homemade gifts. These are happy memories for me, yet the prospect of a new year, can be melancholy. Life isn’t the same without my daughter and the other family members who died in 2007: my father-in-law, brother, and former son-in-law. I loved them and counted on their […]
Child’s Death in Tucson Triggers Universal Question: Why?
January 10, 2011
When we learn of a tragedy, like the gunning down of Christina-Taylor Green, the 9-year-old Tucson girl, a whole nation mourns in confusion. Even though her death is external to our own system of intimate connections, it can still trigger many complex emotions and struggles. Greater minds than ours have been challenged by such senseless loss. The question of “why?” will reliably surface in the thoughts and conversations that ensue. This is a normal, human response. Usually, despite all the mind gymnastics we do in times of wrongful death, we all end up in the same place: We possess no […]
