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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Film Review: Nicholas’ Gift
March 1, 2009
By Reg Green — It may seem like the ultimate in narcissism, but my choice for best grief film is a TV movie that was made about my own family. It is called “Nicholas’ Gift” and is the story of how, on a vacation in Italy, our seven-year-old son, Nicholas, was shot in an attempted carjacking and how we donated his organs and saved many lives. Jamie Lee Curtis played my wife, Maggie. Alan Bates was me. The director was Robert Markowitz, whose long list of titles includes “Tuskegee Airmen,” a TV movie about the first African-American air squadron in […]
Remembering in Maui
February 28, 2009
by Sandy Fox This past week I have been in Maui. I love Hawaii and so did my daughter Marcy. We first brought her here in 1980. She loved the beach, playing in the sand and particularly picking up shells from the ocean. She continued to visit here. One time when she was older, we took her boyfriend with us; another time we took her grandmother. We eventually purchased a condo to stay in when on the island. Her last trip here was with her soon to be husband in 1993. They loved it and vowed to return. It was […]
Film Review: The Visitor
February 28, 2009
By Fran Dorf — Grief is both the thematic underpinning and the overarching aura in this low key, but absorbing and powerful film. Although humanistic and realistic, the film is suffused with memories of the dead, which loom over the characters like silent watchful ghosts. Written and directed by Tom McCarthy, The Visitor explores issues of identity and place, belonging and connection, and immigration and other post 9/11 issues, but it primarily revolves around a bereaved economics professor named Walter Vale, played by Richard Jenkins, the subtle actor who memorably played the ghostly Fisher father in my all-time favorite television […]
Film Review: Changeling
February 27, 2009
Reviewed by Anne Dionne — My favorite grief-themed movie is one which I’ve seen in recent weeks, “Changeling.” The movie is based on a kidnapping and murder case which was uncovered in Los Angeles in 1928. Clint Eastwood directed this film. The cast includes Angelina Jolie, Jeffrey Donovan, Jason Butler Harner, John Malkovich, Michael Kelly, and Amy Ryan. Christine Collins (Angelina Jolie), a divorcee, left her 9-year-old son Walter home alone one day. She felt that she had no choice-as a single mom, she was the bread winner. Christine prepared lunch for Walter before leaving for work that morning. After […]
Margaret Margo: Double Loss
February 27, 2009
Margaret talks about her mentally ill son who killed his father and himself. https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/audio.opentohope.com/2009/02/Margaret_Margo_032207.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Myth Conceptions of Parental Grief
February 26, 2009
by David Hurley – Over the past several years I have heard several people make ridiculous and shocking statements regarding parental grief. Most of the time they think they can help, and usually they are well meaning folks. They are comfortable in their ignorance of the realities associated with the loss of a child. Many of the statements have been heard from more than one source so they are common “knowledge.” Those inexperienced in this loss have accepted this conventional “wisdom.” They want to share it with everyone because it somehow seems logical. I call these beliefs “mythconceptions.” They are […]
Fred Luskin and Eric Hipple: Forgiveness and the Military
February 26, 2009
Fred and Eric discuss the loss of their children and talk about how forgiveness helps promote help and healing. https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/audio.opentohope.com/2009/02/Fred_Luskin_&_Eric_Hipple_022609.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Shadow of Grief Still Lurks, 20 Years Later
February 23, 2009
By Bob Thompson — Although we know that after a loss the acute state of mourning will subside, we also know we remain inconsolable and will never find a substitute. No matter what may fill the gap, even if it is filled completely, it nevertheless remains something else. And actually this is how it should be. It is the only way of perpetuating that love which we do not want to relinquish. — Sigmund Freud This year marked a milestone regarding my son’s death that I noted but did not celebrate. This year was the year that Paul has been […]
Grief, Guilt, Death, Denial: a different experience for all
February 20, 2009
by Mel Menzies There is a tendency to assume that, following a bereavement, grief must adhere to a certain pattern to be real. But this is not true. The process of mourning, following the loss of a loved one, is different for everyone, and looking for a set response from someone is a dangerous expectation. My reactions, when I lost my adult daughter, may be quite different to yours in a similar situation. And yours, in turn, may be opposite to someone close to you. It is important to grasp this concept, especially between parents who have lost a child, […]
