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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Poem: Dedication
August 6, 2009
YOU ARE IN EVERY SUNRISE My child You are gone from me physically But I see your face. You are in every sunrise In every new bloom In every new season. I can hear your voice I can hear your laughter I remember it all so well. It warms my heart To think of you always With wonderful memories. My journey has been long and uncharted I am amazed at where I am in this journey… A new life, a new joy, a new love But what I wouldn’t give to have you back with me. I know in my […]
Julie Lange: Loss of a Child Through Substance Abuse
August 6, 2009
Julie Lange shares her loss her son at age 16 due to substance abuse. She has gone on to write a book and help others. Learn more about Julie https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/audio.opentohope.com/2010/10/Julie-Lange-080609.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Floating Downstream
August 4, 2009
By Monica Novak – When I began writing this weekly column, A Mother’s Thoughts, my intention was to post something new once a week. Shouldn’t be too difficult, doesn’t have to be long and drawn-out. I’ll just add it to the list of things to do floating in my head. But life has a way of dictating my agenda and some weeks, like this one, get away from me. Suddenly my self-imposed deadline has slipped by…one, two, three, four, five days. And when this happens, I feel a slight pang of guilt that I’m not doing enough. And then I […]
Divorce Rate Among Bereaved
August 4, 2009
by Sandy Fox There is much controversy about the divorce rate following the death of a child. Some say that a great majority of couples divorce as their marriage falls apart after the death of their child. Others say it makes their relationship stronger. Still others say it was completely different problems that caused the divorce. What is the answer? Like many myths, the high divorce rate one has snowballed way out of proportion. Harriet Schiff in 1977 (The Bereaved Parent) said that as high as 90 percent of all bereaved couples are in serious marital difficulty within months after the death of their child. […]
The Grieving Father
July 29, 2009
by Sandy Fox Fathers grieve differently with different emotions in the loss of a child. I believe this to be true. Here is some of the information that has been gathered on men losing a child. According to research, bereaved fathers put their grief into a compartment separate from the rest of their lives. Because they feel they need to protect their families, they submerge their own grief. And they dislike being overcome by intense emotion and feel that talking about the emotion only makes it worse. They deal with grief by thinking about something else, by doing something else […]
The Emotional Impact of Stillbirth in a Multiple Pregnancy
July 28, 2009
By Jean Kollantai – The experience of carrying two, loving two, getting ready to totally care for two lively babies at once was something I never could have imagined until it happened to me…and so was the emotional impact of the stillbirth of a twin or twins. After a good pregnancy, carefully monitored with all the latest technology, and many months of not only feeling but watching my sons demonstrate their total enthusiasm for food, each other, me, and being “alive” in general, I found myself back in a hospital bed after a c-section, holding one baby in each arm–both […]
Getting on With Life—What Does It Mean?
July 20, 2009
Of all the statements and spiritual platitudes quoted to me since my son, Daniel’s, death the phrase that I hear most frequent 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? […]
Grief Support on the Web
July 18, 2009
by Sandy Fox There is a wealth of information on the web dealing with bereavement support. I will list for you some of the sites and leave it up to you to check them out. Perhaps there is something here that will help you on the road to recovery. CHAT ROOMS www.groww.org/chat/gr.shtml GROWW offers a grief recovery chat room that is open 24/7. They also host many types of moderated grief support chats. It is a place where peer groups teach that you have permission to grieve. It is a place of belonging and one that helps you to get […]
A Single White Rose
July 17, 2009
By Barbara A. Glanz – In 1971 I faced the most difficult experience of my life, one which has changed me forever. I had grown up in a small town in Iowa where families were the center of our lives. I loved dolls and babysitting, and I could hardly wait to be a mother! I even became a high school English teacher because I loved working with young people. In 1965 I graduated from the University of Kansas and began teaching in LaGrange, Illinois, in 1966 I married a wonderful man named Charlie, and on April 2, 1969, we were […]
