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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Angel Tree Makes for Roses in December

December 14, 2010

“God gave us memories so we would have roses in December.” ~James M. Barrie By late 1998, I was preparing for my first holiday season without my precious daughter, Alexandria, who had died January 29, 1998 as a newborn. I had a 33-month-old son, Bryce. It had been almost a year since my daughter died and I was halfway into the subsequent pregnancy with my third child, another girl. Surely I was through the worst of the grief and my mind and heart would observe the expectation I had set for myself that I was beyond the heartache. I could […]

Hating the Holidays

December 9, 2010

The unease creeps in around Halloween. The bags of miniature candy, the masks, the decorations box waiting to be unpacked, lights at the front door, goblins to greet. It’s just not as much fun as it used to be . . . when my toddling Peter dressed as baby blue rabbit took the hand of his older sister in pink pajama sleeper, their sewn on ears at a cocky tilt, and headed out with my husband to haunt the neighborhood. A few years later, he was a curly-white-haired old lady, then in college he wrapped his head in a turban […]

Elizabeth Edwards Demonstrated Grace in Grief

December 9, 2010

Elizabeth Edwards was not afraid to share her grief journey with others, and bereaved parents could relate to her as she was genuine. I had the opportunity to meet her and also hear her speak at the TCF Conference in Oklahoma City, Okla., a few years ago. Parents appreciated her openness and willingness to talk to everyone. She made her pilot and entourage wait at the airport until she had signed every book and talked to each bereaved parent. Ministering to and being with others like herself was more important to her than political commitments. How many politicians and or […]

Grief has no Time-line

December 9, 2010

Yesterday, I read a blog about grief after child loss. It was an interesting article, and it made me wonder about my opinions on grief. I must tell you before you read on, this lady hasn’t had to bury her child, thankfully. The blog read, “Everyone I’ve interviewed about losing a child agrees, it takes five years.” That’s right, after FIVE years, if I am to believe her, I should be through the worst of my grief over Savannah! As soon as I read it, the hair on the back of my neck prickled. I’m afraid I have to disagree. I thought to myself, “Well I must be abnormal!” In […]

Elizabeth Edwards Helped Others Who Had Suffered Child-Loss

December 8, 2010

I had a personal experience with Elizabeth Edwards that I will never forget. She was the keynote speaker at the 2007 Compassionate Friends conference in Oklahoma City, which I attended. I bought her book “Saving Graces,” took it with me to the conference and wanted her to sign it. At the time, she was doing chemo treatments for her breast cancer, and I marveled at her strength and courage to continue with all her speaking engagements and interviews (that night after the conference she flew to Los Angeles to appear on Larry King.) After she gave an eloquent speech to […]

What is this Gnawing Feeling I Have in my Stomach?

December 6, 2010

Following the loss of a child, there is a feeling that most parents get that they can’t seem to explain other than it’s a “gnawing feeling.” It’s not an outright ache, nor is it a sharp pain. It’s just a “feeling” that is always there when you are awake. It feels empty and hollow, and food doesn’t seem to fill it or lessen the feeling. Quite often, after multiple visits to the doctor, there is a shrug of the shoulders and you hear the words, “I just don’t know what this could be. Let’s wait it out and see. All […]

Every Step of the Way: How Four Mothers Coped with Child Loss

December 3, 2010

Anne Dionne’s co-authored book, Every Step of the Way: How Four Mothers Coped with Child Loss, is available at Amazon.com.

Sandy Fox; Maintaining a Marriage After Loss

December 2, 2010

Sandy Fox is an educator, speaker, journalist and author. Marcy, her only child, was killed in an automobile accident 16 years ago. She is the author of “Creating a New Normal …After the Death of a Child. Sandy speaks at TCF conferences, POMC conferences and to bereavement groups across the country. She also writes articles for the Open to Hope Foundation and her own weekly blog http://www.survivinggrief.blogspot.com To visit Sandy’s bio. click here https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/audio.opentohope.com/2010/11/OTH_Sandy-Fox-10_04_2010.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download