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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Ghosts of Memory: Integrating Our Loss Through Remembering
October 21, 2009
I recently read a book called: Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road, by Neil Peart. Peart is the lyricist and world renowned drummer for the Canadian rock band, Rush. His daughter Selena, age 19, died on August 10, 1997, as a result of a car accident and his common-law wife, Jackie died on June 20, 1998, of cancer. Peart became a bereaved parent and a young widower in the space of ten months. One year after the death of his daughter, he embarked on a 55,000-mile, fourteen-month journey on his motorcycle across Canada, the United States and Mexico. He […]
What Does it Mean to ‘Get on with Life’
October 20, 2009
Of all the statements and spiritual platitudes quoted to me since my son, Daniel, died, the phrase that I hear most frequently makes me squirm the most. “You have got to get on with your life.” Recently, I quit squirming long enough to ponder the meaning behind this phrase that is usually said to the bereaved in the form of a command. Exactly what does this phrase mean? What are people implying when they say it? I was pregnant when Daniel died and three months later, I gave birth to a baby girl. Wasn’t that getting on with my life? […]
Floating Downstream: What Loss Has Taught Me
October 16, 2009
During summer breaks, my 12-week reprieve from the regimented early-morning school schedule, my three girls and I love to sleep in and lounge around in our pajamas all morning (okay, they lounge while I do dishes and laundry and try to get them to pick up their stuff that’s strewn all over the house!). We spend our afternoons at the pool enjoying the sun with friends or visiting family in Indiana. Our evenings are spent listening to free outdoor concerts or curling up on the couch for movie night – which in the summer can be any night we want! […]
First Halloween
October 15, 2009
I usually love Halloween, seeing all the little kids in their cute costumes struggling to hold up their trick or treat bags and trying to say “trick or treat”. But that first Halloween was only a couple of weeks after our infant son, Dylan, had died, and I knew I could not be at home to give out treats this year. I felt bad about it, but I knew that I would be in no shape to see so many kids. So my husband, Mark, and I decided to see an early movie and have dinner. This would keep us […]
When Will I Feel Better?
October 14, 2009
by Sandy Fox Why don’t I feel better? It’s been a year…two years…three years since I lost my child. I hear this a lot. Don’t be impatient. The fact that you want to feel better and move on with your life after the loss of a child is a good sign. What you don’t realize is that it may take a very long time. Each of us reacts differently. Each of us heals differently. There is no set time that you should be well and functioning again. Your mind will do a lot of the work for you. And your […]
Facing the Early Days of Grief
October 9, 2009
It’s overwhelming to face a tragedy that you never saw coming. Grief rises up suddenly from the meadows of life like an insurmountable peak. The base is vast and panoramic. You can see nothing beyond the moment and the ascent seems impossible. Even though we are stranded in a woeful valley, it’s apparent that nothing prosperous blooms once the season has passed. There is no reason to linger in a fruitless depression, especially when those who have already crossed over are urging us on. If we simply relent without any effort to lift our selves up, then there is no […]
Susan Lacek: Resources for Bereaved Children and Families
October 8, 2009
Susan is the founder of Faith’s Lodge, a non-profit organization that offers families that are coping with the loss of a child a retreat. Susan founded the lodge after the stillbirth of her daughter. https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/audio.opentohope.com/2010/11/Susan-Lacek-100809.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
From Pain to Ache to ‘New Me’: Healing From the Loss of a Child
October 8, 2009
Never in my wildest nightmare could I have imagined that my child, my only daughter, would die. Nor could I imagine living through it. The unthinkable did happen! My 21-year daughter was killed in a car accident in which some construction equipment ran into her car. This tragedy occurred in the Dominican Republic where my daughter had gone to serve as a missionary. How I survived is still a mystery. However, I am here to tell you about it and about the cues that indicated I was getting better. When I first told my story at a local Compassionate Friends […]
What is the Answer When Anger Dominates Our Grief Process?
October 7, 2009
Question from DV: My daughter died in a car accident on May 23,2009. My other daughter and I have our daily moments of crying, shouting, screaming, etc. And we can talk to others or to each other about her sister/my daughter. My husband, on the other hand, is not doing so well. He doesn’t really talk to anyone, he is so mad at everyone, primarily God. He expresses anger most of the time and seems to be getting meaner. I’m trying to give him his space as he grieves a little differently, but I am not sure if I need […]
