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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Easter Reminds Woman that God Understands Loss
April 8, 2011
Recently, I had the opportunity to speak to the women’s group at my church, and I realized just how much faith meant to me. I grew up Catholic, and it was very important to my mother that we go to church. However, when she was killed, God was the last person I wanted to talk to. I was so angry that He had “taken” both of my parents! How could He? This supposedly loving, kind, merciful God had shown me no kindness or mercy, or so I thought. Through the next four years, I pushed and pulled away from faith. […]
Deborah and Heidi: The Loss of Elderly Parents
April 4, 2011
Deborah and Heidi talk about adult children & the loss of elderly parents
Not knowing Mum had died
March 29, 2011
It will be a year on April the 2nd which was good Friday that I found out my poor mother had died. She had been dead nearly 2 years but my father wanted to punish me for things past so did not tell me and got one of his sisters to telephone me and tell me. My father and mother have not spoken to me four at least 6 years, but I have found out since my mother wanted to ring me and my father would not let her. My twin brother kept this a secret from me also, so […]
The Art of Patience in the Grieving Process
March 29, 2011
Quick. Fast. Now. Go. Do. Success. Power. Instant gratification is an unfortunate American archetype. I feel myself drawn to this alluring proposition constantly even when I have, on more than one occasion, realized it’s self-defeating. I want to get where I am going now, not two hours from now, not two years from now. Right now. Even as a big proponent of living in the moment, something self-help gurus bellow regularly, I catch myself impatiently chasing after my current challenge at any given time. I want to climb the damn mountain already and move on to the next. But by […]
The Importance of Older Women After Mother-Loss
March 9, 2011
Volunteering at a hospital adorns me with friends whose ages span from 70 to 6. It’s actually quite enlightening. Occasionally a child needs looking after while a parent attends to adult things, and I have the privilege of listening to a first-grader read to me. Having friends who are older is especially important since my mother and I never had the chance to talk about life the way I would have liked. How we spoke when I was 19 is vastly different from how we would speak today. For that reason, I make it a point to nurture and cherish […]
Mother’s Necklace is More Than Just Jewelry
March 5, 2011
I wore the necklace with the tiny multicolored beads every day. Its primary color was black but there were also blues, greens, reds and white. I liked the necklace because it was unique and because it matched my wardrobe. It was my favorite. I was on vacation and in a hotel room in Las Vegas when the unthinkable happened. I was pulling the necklace over my head and it got caught in my ponytail. I tugged and it broke. The tiny little beads scattered everywhere: on the counter, on the floor and down the sink into the drain. I must […]
Childhood Grief Can Emerge Decades Later
February 27, 2011
A woman came into my office yesterday. She looked exhausted, and explained that she wanted to consult with me about her 91-year-old mother who had recently been diagnosed with early stage Alzheimer ’s disease. She is the primary caregiver and had missed quite a lot of work recently due to her mother’s needs. She is a research biologist at Harvard Medical School working under a grant that will expire in a year. She said she didn’t know what she would be able to do. “I’m fifty-six years old, and I have to think about another career.” I asked her to […]
Grieving at a Young Age
February 15, 2011
In the last nine months, I’ve had the privilege of hearing from several people who have lost loved ones. I know it sounds strange to put it that way but after starting MamaQuest.org and Trauma2art.com, I became an available listener. Because I shared my experience of grief, people feel safe to tell me their story. Hearing these stories is both cathartic for them and comforting for me. I quickly realized everyone’s experience is unique, but we all share a common problem: how do we cope? We also share a bond for seeking to understand what we are going through. Being […]
Dad was Daughter’s Best Valentine
February 10, 2011
The one-year anniversary of my dad is coming up very quickly. I often think to myself: Where did the time go? It doesn’t seem like a year at all. The first holidays quickly became the past for me, trying not to think of it and how hard it was for me and my family. Valentine’s Day to my dad was just an ordinary day, just another Hallmark holiday. He was absolutely right. I never got anything for my dad for Valentine’s Day because I knew — and he also knew — how much I loved him. The chocolate wasn’t going […]
