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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We’ll Celebrate Her Life; We’ll Sing
December 22, 2014
When the doctor in the emergency room asked Dad, “How long has your daughter been drinking?”, it broke his heart and it made him mad. “You don’t know this girl,” he said. “You don’t know my daughter.” After Jilly died on July 3, 2014, Dad and I talked on the phone nearly every day for weeks. I swear we were going through the stages of grief together—on the phone—crying and laughing and trying to understand, which was the hardest part. We talked through the facts, though we knew nothing could have been different. Jilly had been fourteen when our mom […]
A Good Goodbye: Gail Rubin
December 18, 2014
Gail Rubin, CT, is author and host of the award-winning book and television series A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don’t Plan to Die. She’s a Certified Thanatologist, that’s a death educator, a Certified Funeral Celebrant and a speaker who uses humor and films to get conversations started on death, dying, advance directives and funeral planning. https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/audio.opentohope.com/OpenToHope_GailRubin.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Episode 37: Sibling Loss
November 30, 2014
On this show Dr. Gloria Horsley and Dr. Heidi Horsley discuss with comedian Jordon Feber and Keith Singer the impact of the loss of their siblings and how they have found hope after loss and gone to inspire others who have lost brothers and sisters. Both Jordon and Keith are involved with The Compassionate Friends Foundation and have helped thousands of siblings on their journey of loss and recovery. The show closes with Capathia Jenkins and Amber Iman signing “We Will Never Be Apart” from the musical “Harriet” based on the story of Harriet Tubman.
What No One Ever Told Me About Grief
November 24, 2014
Last Valentine’s—that rose-scented, chocolate-infused day, God reached a hand down, scooped my brother’s soul in his Godly palm without asking if we were ready, if Rocky was ready, to transition from this world into the next. He was plucked from our lives without any warning at all, leaving a jagged hole in our wholeness, sending tremors through our family while hairline cracks mushroomed through our “ROCK” solid foundation. The past nine months have crawled by in a blurry, non-linear haze. I’d attach wheels to the next three, hitch them together like freight train cars, and shove them over a cliff […]
Episode 35: Grieving Disability and Death
November 11, 2014
On this show Dr. Gloria Horsley and Dr. Heidi Horsley discuss with Louise Bruce, bereaved mom the experience of losing two special needs children, Laura and Chris. Louise has honored the children by starting the LaChris Connection serving families of kids with disabilities. The second guest is Isabel Stenzel Byrnes, Hospice social worker, Cystic Fibrosis survivor and author of “The Power of two: A Twin Triumph Over Cystic Fibrosis” Isabel discusses her process in coping with Cystic Fibrosis, lung transplants and the death of her twin. These inspirational guests show how through hope, charity and love they have overcome […]
Jill Smolowe: Resilience In A Time of Grief
October 16, 2014
Within 17 months award-winning journalist and author Jill Smolowe lost her husband, sister, and mother. Jill, a senior writer for People, desiring to help others, used her experience to write Four Funerals and a Wedding: Resilience In A Time Of Grief. Jill then became a grief and transition coach helping clients learn how to restore momentum to their lives. https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/audio.opentohope.com/Jill-Semolowe.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
My Brother, My Best Friend
September 30, 2014
Alison Smith, author of Name All the Animals: A Memoir, opens up about her brother and best friend today with Dr. Gloria Horsley and Dr. Heidi Horsley. Enjoy the full interview: G: Hello. I’m Dr. Gloria Horsley with my co-host H: Dr. Heidi Horsley. G: Each week we welcome you to Healing the Grieving Heart, a show of hope and conversation with those who have suffered the loss of a loved one and for health care professionals who work in this difficult field. As always the message is others have been there before you and you can make it. You do […]
When it’s Grief, Not Depression
September 9, 2014
One sleepless night, I tiptoed down the stairs, slipped outside and stared up at the low-hanging moon, so close to me it looked as if it had been pinned against the black canvas with a thumb tack. I reached out a hand to snatch if from the sky, tuck it inside my heart, feel its warm steady glow burn through my body, filling the empty places my brother’s death left behind. Perhaps I’d be able float, or fly into the midnight sky, join him there in the crook of a star, swing our legs and whisper all that he gave […]
Peanut Gallery, a Documentary: Interview with Molly Gandour
August 6, 2014
At the annual ADEC (Association of Death Education and Counseling) conference, I spoke with Molly Gandour about her documentary ‘Peanut Gallery’. Her film explores the death of her sister and how she and her parents just recently learned to talk about it. Molly went home to Indiana a few years ago, where she grew up, to speak with her parents for the first time about the death of her sister. Molly was just 10 years old when her sister died, and she and her parents had never really spoken about it. Molly’s film is a story of her family learning […]
