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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Making Choices
November 23, 2008
by Sandy Fox “If life doesn’t kill you, it will make you stronger.” I don’t know who said that, but it’s true. After your child dies, you have a choice: to continue living or to lie down and give up. I chose to live. In order to do that, I had to have a new purpose in my life. Whether it was a cause, helping others or just finding new interests, my life took on new meaning eventually, and as I look back now, 14 years later, I know I have my daughter to thank for all that has happened […]
Last Conversation With Son is Deep, Loving
November 19, 2008
By Yvonne E. Lancaster — Coming home was a tough time of day. It signaled the end of the occupational work day, and the beginning of the personal work evening…preparing dinner, doing laundry, taxiing kids, whatever else kept me going until 11 p.m. My 5 p.m. homecoming blues had often been softened by seeing my oldest son Brian’s familiar dark blue Chevy Citation sitting in the driveway. His bumper stickers read: “Free the Beaches” and “Save the Whales.” My heart was always warmed to know I’d raised a son who was a caring person. As I deftly balanced grocery bags, […]
It’s OK to Laugh… and Other Hints for the Holidays
November 18, 2008
By Tom Zuba — My 18-month-old daughter Erin died suddenly on July 18, 1990. Had she lived, we’d be preparing for her 20th birthday this January 2. Even though I had grown up aware that children do die – my own baby brother Danny died when I was just 6 years old – nothing prepared me for my daughter’s death. I was ill-equipped and ill-prepared as were most, if not all, of the people in my circle. That first holiday season, and the next, and even the next were difficult for my wife and me. I wish someone had handed […]
Poem: The Promise
November 15, 2008
Your birth brought me star shine, the moon and the sun; my wishes, dreams, gathered round my little one. My life became sacred, full of promise and light wrapped up in the child who brought love at first sight. The years of your living filled with laughter and tears, excitement, adventure, some boredom, some fears, but ended too quickly, ahead of its time the loss so horrendous, such heartbreak was mine. But from the beginning, one thought rose so clear: never would your death erase the years that you were here. I would not be defeated or diminished by your […]
