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.
SORT BY RELATIONSHIP
For Fathers, Loss of a Child Carries Special Burdens
June 15, 2010
Men go through all kinds of identity changes when they experience the loss of a child, especially a child who is older and has lived long enough to create established memories with his or her father. A man identifies himself by mainly two things: the job he has and the family he has. When a child is taken away by death, a man suddenly loses the largest, most important part of his identity. A real crises situation has been created, not just for the father, but also for role the father plays with the family. Fathers love to feel needed, […]
Cypress Tree is Evergreen Memorial to Daughter
June 14, 2010
I was in the garden yesterday planting flowers around your tree like I do every year. I plant marigolds, your father’s favorite flower. He loves the strong yellow color and how they feel light and bright like you. When he planted the tree four years ago, it was so tiny — not much more than a twig. As I gaze upon your tree today I see a strong, tall, beautiful trunk, firmly planted, reaching for the sky. A beautiful cypress tree — that is what we wanted for you when your father planted your tree on that sunny but sad […]
Healing Ink: Writing Into Your Grief
June 13, 2010
A weeping willow tree, one flowery journal, two pens (in case one ran out of ink), and a box of Puffs tissues. Those objects stayed close beside me. In my early confusion over the loss of my son, these items never ignored my grief or told me to “get over it.” When it grew too dark to see underneath the stringy weeping willow, I carried my pen and journal inside a house that seemed too empty, and wrote some more. At night, I woke to grapple with turmoil, with the noises in my head, the flashbacks of the cancer ward, […]
Mother Tells Story of Child’s Death, Her Own Faith
June 11, 2010
I was coasting through life, pretty comfortably, when suddenly I experienced something no mother should have to go through. I came out on the other side only due to God’s amazing grace. I would not be here today physically or able to share this with you, if it weren’t for my Savior who has given me the strength and peace to go on. I am not a natural writer. English was my least favorite subject in school, and to make things worse, I wasn’t good at it either. So that is why I can say today that I can write […]
Carol Loehr; Finding Healing and Hope After Traumatic Loss
June 10, 2010
Carol Loehr talks about her son’s death by suicide. She went on to write a book to help children understand death by suicide. To Learn More About Carol https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/audio.opentohope.com/2010/10/OTH_Carol-Loher-05_03_10.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Mel Menzies; The Bereaved Parent
June 10, 2010
Mel Menzies found hope after the loss of daughter. https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/audio.opentohope.com/2010/10/OTH_Mel-Menzies-05_03_10.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Despite Pain of Child-Loss, ‘Surrender is Beneath Me’
June 9, 2010
I am hastened into facing another day. Woken by the onslaught of my mourning. It is a struggle to keep the sorrow at bay, as it strikes me without warning. The terror impacts me the instant I wake. But I must keep fighting for sanity’s sake. Through the relentless oppression of laughter and song. To the constant regression as the war rages on. No source of shelter offers any relief, my only protection is the Armor of grief. In the daily battle with my emotions, I often feel overwhelmed. I find myself wallowing in the murky trenches of grief, at […]
OTH’s Eric Hipple Featured on U.S Army Site
June 7, 2010
Open to Hope author Eric Hipple is featured on the U.S. Army’s official blog. Hipple is co-author, with OTH founders Heidi and Gloria Horsley, of Real Men Do Cry: A Quarterback’s Inspiring Story of Tackling Depression and Surviving Suicide Loss. The book is available at www.amazon.com Read the military blog item here: http://armylive.dodlive.mil/index.php/2010/02/nfl-u-s-army-team-up/
Mother Finds Comfort in Living Her Daughter’s Values
June 6, 2010
On the first anniversary of our daughter’s death, my husband and I held a graveside service in her memory. It was a brief service because the February temperature hovered around zero and the wind chill was fierce. Despite the weather, 10 people gathered to remember her. I passed out a list of our daughter’s values. These simple, powerful values are her legacy. Today, as my grandchildren graduate from high school and prepare for college, I am reminded of my daughter’s values and how they shaped her life. My twin grandchildren were 15 years old when their mother and father died […]
