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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September 25: Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims
September 25, 2012
September 25th is the national day of remembrance for all murdered victims. This year will mark the fifth year of a national day of remembrance to those victims our nation lost to murder. Communities across the nation will hold services throughout the day to remember loved ones who were murdered. Some will be candlelight vigils, some will have guest speakers and others will have moments of silence. For the families and friends of murdered victims, this day sends a powerful message. Our country cares and will remember those lives cut short. A national day of remembrance also reminds the nation […]
Healing from Twin-Loss Requires New Connections
September 22, 2012
So many people are shattered by deep personal grief, by the unique and often unacknowledged experiences of their loss, and by the misunderstood depth and length of their bereavements. The death of my twin brother, Michael, and the different ways I experienced the absence of him in my life, created a deep sense of inner loneliness and outer separation. My healing journey began with what felt like the end of my life. Out of profound disconnection, I started the slow process of putting the pieces of myself back together within the discovery of new connections, and of making a […]
Death of my brother
August 17, 2012
This is my first time here so please excuse any spelling mistakes im not doing good at all ty for all of your stories i have tears atm 2 months ago today i found my brother dead in our sunporch. as soon as i seen him i knw he was dead so as i was calling 911 i watched my husband doing cpr on him for a half hour we live in the country i said goodbye to my brother larry laying their with a tube down his mouth and things hooked up to him and its that vision i […]
Michael Nunley: Healing Family Losses With Music
August 16, 2012
Michael Nunley’s father’s diagnosis of terminal cancer was like losing an anchor for the Nunley family. A second blow came when Michael broke the news, that his sister Cyndy had taken her life. Michael shares how the loss of his sister enabled him to craft the song for a Compassionate Friends Candle Lighting bringing him greater healing. Follow Kim’s Blog at listenforthewhispers.com https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/audio.opentohope.com/2012/08/Micheal-Nunley_01.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Chris Donohoe; Honoring a Sibling With Music Guest:
July 12, 2012
Chris Donohoe is a San Francisco based singer/songwriter. He has released 3 albums since 2009; WHAT DRIVES YOU, HERMOSILLA His latest project MARCH was inspired by the difficult and profound experience of watching his youngest brother, Terrence, battle Multiple Sclerosis. Chris and his family were with Terrence when he passed away in 2011. https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/audio.opentohope.com/2012/07/Chris-Donohue_01.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
The Bereavement Process for Twinless Twins
June 29, 2012
When we lose a twin, it feels for many of us like the literal end of our lives. That is true, in that it is the end of life as we have known it since the moment of our conception. As one twin explained to me: “The day my twin died, the lights went out.” Another twin said to me, “After Daphne died, it was as if I couldn’t breathe. I’d never in my life thought about breathing. I just took it for granted that Daphne and my breath were part of being alive.” When our twin dies, we must […]
Tabitha Jayne; Death of a Sibling
June 28, 2012
Tabitha Jayne is the author of Thriving Loss: Move beyond Grief to a Place of Peace, Passion and Purpose and a leading expert in the field of Grief & Growth Coaching. Her interest in this field stems from the death of her seventeen year old brother Peter in a car crash when she was only twenty-two. https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/audio.opentohope.com/2012/07/Tabitha-Jayne_01.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Grief Can Surface Years After a Loss
June 18, 2012
Denial of grief is common and misunderstood. Grief can wait in the wings for a time to surface, when you are better prepared to absorb its lessons. It can be triggered by other losses. Left undone, grief can wreak havoc with your ability to enjoy life and feel positive emotions. Grief has no time frame. It can be postponed, but never put away. My identical twin sister Paula Pountney died unexpectedly as her small plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean one Thanksgiving night. We were 21 years old. With the same genes and a shared history, we functioned as a […]
Sibling Loss: Honoring, Not Forgetting
June 6, 2012
In the United States today, there is a natural, assumed order to the deaths we will experience in our lives. We believe that our grandparents will die first, then our parents, then our brothers and sisters, and then our children. However, that is not how it happens for thousands of people each year, and that is not how it happened for me. When my brother Scott and cousin Matthew, were just 17 yrs. old they died together in a fiery car accident. In a sense our siblings are parallel travelers in life, we have a shared history. We expect this […]
