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.
SORT BY RELATIONSHIP
she is gone
March 7, 2013
Feel lost with no where to turn my mum passed away on 27th September 2012. Almost 6 months ago. She had been in ill health for a number of years and last summer was admitted to hospital with increased confusion and a urine infection. My sister and I live in Northern Ireland and my mum resided in England. On this occasion she was in the hospital for 5 weeks without us being informed so we flew to England to address this problem and ensured that we were 1st and 2nd contacts on her next of kin list. we returned home […]
Death of My Mother
March 5, 2013
I am new to this website. I found it after cleaning my mother’s closet and being surprised at how this activity pulled me back into more grief than I had expected to feel. My mother was 83 – having had a wonderful long life and six grandkids…she died suddenly leaving my family somewhat shell-shocked. I am a nurse – I should have seen all the signs – her color, her symptoms, etc., etc. My mother and I were not close. I loved her as my mother but I did not like her. I tried so hard to “do right by […]
My dad is killing himself without even realizing it
March 2, 2013
Right now is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to deal with. Ever. At first I thought I could be strong, I felt strong. I thought maybe there is something I can, one of these day’s I would just jump up and say what I had to say and everything would be ok. But it’s not… or maybe I didn’t say the right thing. I don’t know… All I do know is that my father is dying. Not from cancer or anything. This is completely optional. He’s choosing this because he’s afraid. My father has assesses in his teeth which […]
Sorting Out Life: Remembering a Mother by Her Scent
February 28, 2013
I sat on the dusty wide-planked floor of my attic and sorted through stored memories. I struggled with the final decisions of how much attraction, or need, that I truly held for each item. Dozens, sometimes hundreds, of decisions waited in every box. Piles expanded for things to keep and for things that needed to go. A stack to sell, another for Goodwill or giveaway to family and friends. As I added to the get-rid-of section, I noticed Mom’s walker folded and laying on the pink insulation. She passed away five years ago. I walked across the wooden floorboards, stooped […]
The Eulogy as Love Letter
February 20, 2013
When we think of the kindest things we can do for a parent whose time on earth is coming to an end, I wonder how many of people think of a love letter that will serve as the eulogy. It is not easy to watch a parent weaken, and in the world of what to do to bring joy and peace of mind, we often think of physical comfort and pleasure. For me, a love letter is the best answer. A love letter, of course, is one that focuses on someone’s finest qualities, the happiest memories and the valuable lessons […]
Teen Questions Reaction to Her Parent’s Death
February 18, 2013
Question from a reader: My dad died a little over two weeks ago. He was not sick. He was caught in an undercurrent and drowned. I did not witness it but I heard the stories and have been there enough to be able to picture it. He was not an amazing dad; he worked a lot to provide for us and that’s how he showed his love. I started school the Monday after it happened (he drowned on Friday and they found his body on Sunday). I am not crying that much. I can still have a good time. I […]
my mum passed away 5 mths ago to advanced secondary bone & liver cancer, help
February 15, 2013
my mum had breast cancer from taking HRT 8 years ago, she had ulceritive colitis and had a cholostomy bag fitted just over a year ago, she was just getting her life back when she started having head aches and severe pain in her hip, she went back and forth t the dr’s and was diagnosed with secondary bone cancer, and after a scan it was discovered she had cancer in her scull, neck, ribs, back, hips and right leg and in a 1 in million chance it has travelled to her liver. she started radiotherapy and apeared to be […]
A Caregiving Comparison
February 14, 2013
“What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun.” Ecclesiastes: 1:9 Caring for aging parents is nothing new. Had we been privy to a family discussion in Bedrock, we might have heard a middle-aged Pebbles and Bambam discussing what was to be done with the widow Wilma who was found wandering the streets at three a.m.—minus her leopard skin. I am one of the thirteen million baby boomers caring for an aging parent. Although I’m not alone, the particulars of my situation may be somewhat […]
Father dating again
February 13, 2013
Hi I’m 18 and I lost my mother on January 29, 2012. She wasn’t sick or anything, her heart just stopped beating. My father has recently started dating again. I really like the girl but it is just driving me crazy cuz I’m not allowed to talk to anyone about it cuz he doesn’t want people to know. So I have to keep it all bottled up inside. Also, he is very secretive about it and he won’t just tell us if he is going on a date. He will say he’s going to a meeting and then be out […]
