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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Give Yourself a G.I.F.T. This Holiday Season
October 31, 2019
The holidays are a time of togetherness and family traditions. It’s even been dubbed the “most wonderful time of the year.” But for many in the widowed community, it can be filled with grief, loneliness, and reminders of our loss. Once solid relationships with family and friends may have frayed throughout the year because our grief was too much for them to handle and our in-laws, one of the last few connections to our spouse, might as well be called “outlaws.” If you’re fortunate enough to have been invited – and accepted – to spend the holidays with loved ones, […]
Recovery in Pieces
October 31, 2019
It’s been many years, many miles, and many tears since the early, raw days of being widowed. The life I am living now is one I would never have recognized as mine when I walked down the aisle to take the hand of my soon to be husband. And, yet, it is of my own making. Completely designed and created by me with an incredible amount of effort, courage, and support from people who love me. Pieces from the Past Bits and pieces of the past are peppered throughout the life I am living without Gary. His artwork, a painting […]
Honoring My Dad with Niles Fitch
October 24, 2019
Niles Fitch is an actor and Celebrity Ambassador for a CaringHand and is spokesperson for Katie’s Club. In 2013 Niles’ father, Frederick, was diagnosed with lupus nephritis and passed away just four months later. After this life changing event Niles has become an advocate of grief programs and lupus awareness programs and is on a mission to find a cure and educate others about lupus, Niles is a Celebrity Ambassador with Lupus LA. https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/www.opentohope.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Honoring-My-Dad-with-Niles-Fitch.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Radical Self Care with David Conley
October 3, 2019
Dave is a bereaved spouse who uses his life experience to introduce successful people to themselves. He helps them balance health and happiness with significant achievement. He shows them how radical self care changes not just their bodies, but their whole lives — their careers, relationships, and legacy.” https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/www.opentohope.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Radical-Self-Care-with-David-Conley.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Assembling Your Widower Advisory Board
October 2, 2019
Men need support after the loss of a spouse, and one way to get it is to create a team of people who can coach you. I refer to them as a Widower’s Personal Advisory Board. They could be a team of individuals, hailing from your collection of lifelong friends, a neighbor, a fellow parishioner from your church, relatives or a select group of professionals (doctor, lawyer, financial planner, life-coach, confidante, etc.). Your Personal Advisory Board represents your go-to team, whose job it is to become familiar with your life situation and advise you as needed. Forming a Personal Advisory […]
Widowers Need To Be Coachable
October 2, 2019
What do Tom Brady, Wayne Gretzky, Michael Jordan, and Derek Jeter all have in common? We could start with a considerable amount of athletic ability. Each has been recognized as among the best of the best in their individual sport. They also had one secret weapon each used to master their play. One trait that is commonly seen in “high achievers” from all walks of life. They were “coachable.” Think about it. Tom, Wayne, Michael, and Derek earned enormous amounts of salary for their athletic prowess, yet, they were willing subjects who intently listened to the coaching offered by men […]
We Don’t Die. Our Bodies Do.
September 24, 2019
As someone who has had a near death and past life experience, I know the truth about what we call death. When my wife died 18 months ago, the incredible experiences I had were not surprising to me at all. First, I have a patient who is a mystic and she called after my wife died to tell me a woman who was an opera singer contacted her to tell her Bobbie was fine and back with her family. My wife’s mother was an opera singer. While in bed one night, I heard my wife’s voice and sat up and […]
Returning to ‘Single’ after the Loss of a Spouse
August 31, 2019
Excerpt from Life After Loss For Widows: Lifting the Veil of Grief I remember this one incident so well. A little over a year after losing Randy, I was enrolling for an upcoming retreat at our church. I had gone in the afternoon. The church was open for those who wanted to drop in and sign up. There was no one there when I went. I started filling out the paperwork. Then I got to the part that asked me to circle my marital status. The choices were: “M” for married, “S” for single, or “D” for divorced. At that […]
Widowers Need To Step Out of The Shadows and Into the Light of Day
August 31, 2019
Grieving men are misunderstood. And for a good reason. After all, men don’t believe they have permission to grieve in the first place. When a man experiences a loss, they frequently resort to their primitive behaviors, suggesting to those who will listen, “I’m fine,” Oh really? Is that why you sit in front of your TV, endlessly watching programming you have little to no interest in watching, frequently falling asleep in your darkened home, and your half-finished pre-fab frozen dinner resting on your belly. Is that how you define “fine?” I can relate. For months following the passing of my […]
