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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Signs of Hope
July 13, 2009
By Monica Novak – When our daughter Miranda was stillborn, the word “hope” took on new meaning for me. Used often to describe the feeling that what you want in the future will happen, for example healing and moving beyond grief, hope for me meant knowing that my daughter had not just disappeared into oblivion. Hope meant knowing that she was still with me, now, and that I didn’t have to wait until so-called death to be with her again. I began asking for her to give me a sign that she was indeed with me. It didn’t take long […]
Signs from our children
July 11, 2009
by Sandy Fox, author of I Have No Intention of Saying Good-bye Mothers have an uncanny way of knowing exactly about their child’s health, and in Susan’s case, it was gratifying to have the head of pediatrics realize it when he said to her “You knew all the time, didn’t you?” Susan did. He had no clue how she could have known that her daughter was dying because the doctors kept reiterating until the day the baby died that she would be fine. Susan’s baby was born with multiple physical birth defects and was in and out of the hospital […]
Holding On and Letting Go
July 11, 2009
By Beth Seyda – After my infant son, Dylan, died I started jotting down various things and scenes I recalled from our experience. I wanted to write about these memories not only to capture the details of Dylan’s life and death as a personal keepsake, but I also wanted to send it to our health care team. I wanted them to learn from our experience. Writing our story felt good, it was therapeutic for me. I wanted to share the parental aspects as well as the medical. Writing allowed me to release all this “stuff”. Afterward, I felt different. For […]
Not a Flower
July 7, 2009
There was a day when the sun ceased to shine. You may have missed it; it didn’t make the headlines of any national paper. February 2, 1997, to most, was only Groundhog Day. For me, it was nothing as trite as whether the furry creature did or did not see his shadow. Forget the promise of spring, what did it matter now? My life as I dreamed it stopped when my four-year-old laid lifeless in my arms. How I remember those early months after his death. I wanted to be like my Victorian ancestors and wear black, even a veil. […]
Corporate Department Takes Special Care to Welcome Back Bereaved Mom Co-Worker
July 7, 2009
By Monica Novak – I received a call one day from Pat, the Share support group facilitator and perinatal bereavement coordinator at the local hospital, telling me that she and I had been invited to speak to one of the departments at a nearby corporation. Diana, the manager who had contacted Pat, told her that one of her employees, a woman named Michelle, had recently delivered her firstborn child, a stillborn daughter, and was about to return to work after a six-week maternity leave. Not only was Michelle an employee, she was a dear friend of Diana’s and everyone else […]
A Message of Hope
July 4, 2009
by Sandy Fox One mother who I know quite well lost her only child, a daughter, twenty-one years ago. In a recent writing for a bereavement newsletter, she offers hope to those who are just beginning their grief journey. I find that it can be very comforting to those newly bereaved and even those a few years down the road to hear from others on how they have survived and moved forward with their lives. (That is how my book came about.) I am pleased to offer my friend’s honest appraisal of what she felt and did with her life and how we can […]
Understanding the Griever: How Others Can Help
July 3, 2009
When I invited Martha to the gathering at my house, she accepted the invitation cheerfully. Martha was new to the area and so I thought this small potluck I was hosting would be a chance for her to get to know other women in our town. Martha stuck it out till the end, softly responding to each person’s questions about where she had moved from and the details involving her current job. It was not until the last guest left that night that she was able to utter her fears, “Oh, Alice, maybe I shouldn’t have come.” Then she fell […]
I Am Not Cheese
July 2, 2009
Recently I heard from one of my high school classmates. He now lives with his family in Nepal. Going to an international school in Japan–where I grew up—-many of my now forty-something-years-old schoolmates lead exotic lives. You can find them scattered over the world doing really interesting things. And then there I am, settled comfortably after a season of traveling, safe now in North Carolina. My friend commented (which was quite nice) on reading in the high school alumni newsletter that my son had died. He was so sorry and went on to say he had just returned from his […]
Woman Grieves Over Death of a Baby 35 Years Ago
July 1, 2009
From Open to Hope: Ask The Authors, December 10, 2008 Tammy writes in with a question: My friend who is 52 is grieving over a baby she lost when she was 17. She has 2 other children, both adults now. But she is suddenly feeling this loss, feeling like she was supposed to have 3 children. Is it possible to grieve this far from the death? Doris Jeanette, Psy.D., author of Opening the Heart, an emotional guide into feelings and emotions. responds: It is not only possible, but helpful, to grieve any loss that has not been fully experienced. It does not matter how […]
