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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Surviving Children, Husband Save Mother’s Day After Son Dies
May 8, 2009
Mother’s Day 2004 came six days after my oldest son Cameron died. We had not even had the funeral yet, as the circumstances of his death required an autopsy by the county coroner’s office and his body had not yet been released. The meaning of the day, the meaning of what it meant to be a mother, had changed for me utterly and completely. Being a mother now included the incomprehensible truth of outliving a child. It included the feeling of a heart so shattered that I doubted it could ever be whole again. It included the knowledge that no […]
The First Mother’s Day After Maddy’s Death
May 8, 2009
By Lisa Buell — I got a truck full of manure delivered to me the first Mother’s Day after my daughter Madison died. I had been sleeping in, hoping the day would turn to night before I had to come out of my room. The vibration of the truck shook the old single pane windows of my home and saved me from another morning of sleep without rest. I threw on my robe and made my way out the door just in time to see the load of turds falling on top of themselves in my driveway. “Sorry, I knocked […]
Bereaved Mother Seeks to Become Grief Counselor
May 6, 2009
Betty writes in: I am 50 years old and lost my only child to suicide 10 years ago. I need to help others to make myself feel better; this is what I want to do. How do you become a grief counselor? Dr. Gloria Horsley, founder of the Open to Hope Foundation, replies: Hi Betty: It is good that you are thinking about how you can make meaning from your loss. Let me first say that losing your only child to suicide has set you on a path and a journey that few will ever follow. You are a survivor, […]
Mother Remembers Son and his Firebird
May 6, 2009
By Anne Dionne — It was Mother’s Day, 2001. The boy whom I cherished the most, my son Michael, was 19 years old and slipping out of my grasp too quickly. Where was that little boy with the infectious laughter–the boy who brought so much life and fun into our family? Wasn’t it just yesterday when I took that photograph of the excited little boy all dressed up for his first day at kindergarten? I remember feeling a little resentful because I hadn’t seen Michael smile much lately. His smile was the physical attribute that could melt my heart and […]
Is She ‘Half a Mother’ After the Death of Son?
May 5, 2009
By Chris Mulligan — Apparent in all the media, bombarding my world, I saw advertisements the first Mother’s Day after my son died: The perfect Mothers’ Day gift. Celebrate Mom! Make her day! Surprise her with style. Especially for you, Mom! Delight her with diamonds! Enjoy your special day, Mom… People asked me: What are you doing on Mothers’ Day? I did not want to decide so I was glad my family decided for me. A Mothers’ Day Brunch – wouldn’t that be fun? My feelings about Mothers’ Day were as conflicted as my grieving. I was a mother, but […]
Celebrating Mother Earth and Mother Mary on Mother’s Day
May 5, 2009
By Pamela Prime — I awakened on Mother’s Day a few years ago with the awareness that I would be alone that day for the first time in thirty years. I recall lying in bed and feeling the loneliness that only my children could fill on that day, or so I thought. Although the sun was already shining and the birds chirping, I was reluctant to rise…what would I do to celebrate when none of my children were with me? My daughter Katie was a mother now and her excitement was naturally with her own children. My son, Mark was […]
Mother’s Day Flowers
May 4, 2009
By Beth Seyda – It was back in 1998 that I was finally eligible to celebrate my first Mother’s Day. Our first child, Dylan, had been born in the fall of 1997 after many years of fertility issues. But when that May holiday came around, one that I had longed to be a part of, it was a bitter-sweet day. Yes, I was a mother, but now without a child. Our sweet baby lived for only two weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit and died peacefully in our arms. I struggled that first Mother’s Day – I wanted to […]
‘Don’t Ever Doubt You Are a Mother’
May 2, 2009
By Nina Bennett — In a monumental moment of synchronicity, I was present the night my beloved granddaughter was born still. She slid into this world without drawing a breath, following a full-term, healthy pregnancy and normal, though long, labor. In a poignant moment, Jennifer, my daughter-in-law, looked at me and quietly asked, “So am I a mother or aren’t I?” With her question, my heart broke all over again. Later, Jenn told me how she resented not having the chance to parent her daughter. Oh, but Jenn, you did parent your daughter. Not in the way you dreamed of, […]
How Can We Help You?
April 29, 2009
by Sandy Fox “How can we help?” Parents, relatives and especially close friends have asked that question of bereaved parents… perhaps even to you. Were you reluctant to answer? Here are 10 suggestions of what you may want to say to others to keep communication lines open and promote understanding of your situation. 1. Encourage me to talk about my child and truly listen to what I have to say. You may learn something you never knew that could be of help in how you react to me. 2. Call and ask me to go out with you to lunch, […]
