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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Will I Ever Feel Again? Numbness and Suicide
February 27, 2023
During the early stages of grief, you might notice that you can’t feel, and you may ask yourself: Will I ever feel again? This emotional numbness is normal and will pass. This emotional anesthesia is a protection provided by shock because you cannot handle everything at once. You probably have responsibilities like funeral arrangements to get through. You very well might go on auto-pilot and continue to function “normally’ until you can’t anymore. You might not cry at the funeral and wonder what is wrong with you. In these early stages, you may even feel guilty because you don’t think […]
Parental Guilt After Suicide
February 20, 2023
Causes of Suicide Complex Suicide is tragically all too common today. And it is one of the most complicated and heartbreaking ways to lose someone you love, especially a child. The causes underlying this tragic act are complex and varied. Many sources report that a mental condition such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or personality disorders may be an underlying cause. Sometimes it is due to a chemical imbalance in the brain. Additionally, teens and young adults can have mood swings, be impulsive, and lack perspective. They may see no alternative after a significant loss or other stressful life event. A […]
About Your Room: Letting Go of a Son’s Belongings
February 16, 2023
Dismantling the Room Your blue camo backpack hung on the back of your desk chair with your Pittsburgh Penguins baseball cap on top of it for eight years. It was as you left it on the last day of school before the Christmas holidays in 2012. It was September 2020; I was in your room with a mug of dark roast and my phone. We had decided to replace the wall-to-wall carpeting upstairs. The installers were coming the next day and I was on deadline. Both Dad and Iz were out of town. The task of dismantling your room came […]
David Hargrave: Dealing with Grief Post Pandemic
February 16, 2023
Has Covid played games with your grief? Join Dr’s Gloria and Heidi Horsley and their guest David Hargrave, licensed social worker and bereavement counseling professional with Ohio’s Hospice LifeCare for ideas on how to honor and grieve those we have lost during the pandemic. https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/www.opentohope.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/David-Hargrave-Dealing-with-Grief-Post-Pandemic.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Valentine’s Day Triggers Mother’s Grief
February 8, 2023
From the author of Surviving the Unthinkable: The Loss of a Child: Meisenhelder, Janice Bell: 9780979651120: Amazon.com: Books My firstborn, Melissa, was a hopeless romantic! She loved Valentine’s Day ever since she was a little girl. We always celebrated as a family with a special dinner and Valentine cards. My husband would give red roses and candy to all three of “his girls”: myself, Melissa, and her younger sister. As a teen, Melissa always had a boyfriend. and Valentine’s Day continued to be a major celebration. Melissa succumbed to cancer in June of 2004, at the age of 19. I […]
Husband Admires Wife’s Strength After Child-Loss
February 8, 2023
This is an excerpt from Weave Our Destiny, by Ken Lefkowitz. This scene comes after the death of the second of two of his children, one stillborn, the other just one day old. “I never even saw him,” she said. “I never touched him. Never held him. Never kissed him. My arms feel so heavy, they ache from emptiness. I don’t even know what my heart is feeling. I’m numb.” She began to cry, gently at first and then more heavily. “I did get the chance to hold his hand. But I also watched him die. I kissed Matthew for […]
Dr. Galen Goben: Spiritual Growth After Loss
February 2, 2023
Are you looking for spiritual growth? Join Dr’s Gloria Horsley and Dr. Heidi Horsley and their guest Dr. Galen Goben for a look at the intersection between death, spiritual growth, and development. Dr. Goben is a pastor and certified Thanatologist. He was a sought-after Celebrant prior to joining Forest Lawn as Grief Support Director. Find out more about The Association Of Death Education and Counseling https://www.adec.org/page/2023-Conference https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/www.opentohope.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Dr-Galen-Goben-Spiritual-Growth-After-Loss.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Julie Strassman: Communicating with Deceased Loved Ones
January 26, 2023
Have you sensed your deceased loved one? Join Dr’s. Gloria and Heidi Horsley and their guest Julie Strassman Spiritual Counselor and Bereavement Coordinator with Bethesda Hospice Care in St. Louis, MO. for a discussion of spiritual care to bereaved people who have had sensory experiences with deceased loved ones. https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/www.opentohope.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Julie-Strassman-Communicating-with-Deceased-Loved-Ones.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Father Writes a Musical for Deceased Son
January 23, 2023
A Shocking Loss My son Aaron Hirschhorn died in a boating accident in Miami bay on March 28, 2022. He was a month shy of 43 years old. He left behind his wife Karine and three children, August, Joel and Elle. Aaron was a wonderful man: energetic, lively, intelligent, an entrepreneur who had started two companies and was rising to the top of his game. He was a loving and loyal son. His death shook my world to its core. On April 29, 2022, the day before Aaron’s 44th birthday, my community of family and friends attended a performance of a […]
