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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In My Mother’s Kitchen: An Introduction to the Healing Power of Reminiscence
October 28, 2010
Robin Edgar’s book, In My Mother’s Kitchen: An Introduction to the Healing Power of Reminiscence, illustrates how to recall and record memories of your loved ones in order to develop rituals that celebrate the times you had with them. This inexpensive paperback is available at amazon.com.
My Sister’s Murder: The Questions Continue
October 27, 2010
On September 18th, my sister, Sandra, was found dead in her home. It was ruled a homicide later that day. Within a few days we had received the answers to two of our questions. When and How. The time of death was recorded as shortly after 9 am, when she was pronounced dead in her home. My other two sisters and I will always believe she died the night before, September 17. We also found out how she died. Stab wounds to the heart. Receiving those two answers were heart wrenching. Albeit they were answers we so desperately needed. The […]
Make Time to Grieve, and Celebrate, During the Holidays
October 27, 2010
When your heart is broken in grief, you’re not sure how you are going to get through the next day, much less the holidays. Holidays should be spent with the ones we love. It’s a time of celebration, of giving to those we care about. So, if your loved one has died, please don’t think I am in any way making light of the hole you must feel in the center of your being. I only wish to offer ways to honor and remember the one who is gone from your life. My brother committed suicide when I was in […]
Dr Brenda Marshall: Death of a Sibling
October 21, 2010
Dr Brenda Marshall talks about coping after the loss of her brother. https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/audio.opentohope.com/2010/10/OTH_Brenda-Marshall_09_20_2010.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Researcher Seeks Sibling-Loss Survivors
August 19, 2010
My name is Kaitlin Carrozza, and I am a doctoral student at Loyola University in Maryland. I am completing my dissertation on sibling loss, and I’d like your help with my study. The current study investigates individuals’ pattern of relating to others, how they cope following the death of a sibling, and their relationship satisfaction. If you have experienced the death of a sibling, and are interested in expanding our knowledge about the experience of sibling loss, then you would be a good candidate to complete this survey. The following link will take you directly to the survey, where more […]
Using Antidepressant Medication in Grief
August 9, 2010
Question from a Reader: About four weeks ago, I came off an antidepressant which allowed the unresolved grief issues over my brother’s death to surface. I believe that the antidepressant kept me from fully grieving his loss, which I am in the process of doing now. A colleague, therapist, and good friend who has known me over the years knows exactly where I am and says perhaps just a small dosage of an antidepressant (not the one that I was on) could be beneficial until resolution and integration is accomplished. I see my M.D. on Monday to explain what has […]
Six Months After Sister’s Murder, an Arrest and More Questions
July 22, 2010
When my sister was murdered in her home in September of 2009, my life changed forever. The questions that flood your mind in these circumstances are unbearable. Not knowing who murdered my sister was all-consuming. Every day, I waited for my phone to ring, to hear the detective’s voice telling me an arrest was made. I tried to prepare myself for that day. How would I react? Would I be overjoyed? Would I feel relief? There is no script for this, no rule book. You learn as you go. I experienced frustration at the lack of an answer. I already […]
Following Sister’s Murder, Questions Abound
July 5, 2010
How many of us have watched the news, listened to the terrible details of a homicide and thought to ourselves “that poor family”? I would venture to say most of us have had that thought. I did. I would hear news like that think to myself or say to my husband, “that poor family,” and my life continued on. On September 18, 2009, I unfortunately became one of those poor families. My sister was found dead in her home. Her death was ruled a homicide later the same day. It is so difficult to explain the feelings, the emotions, the […]
Cancer Catches Up With Military Hero
July 3, 2010
As told by Anthony J. Amoroso: Heroes aren’t supposed to be ordinary. Yet that’s what my brother was: an ordinary guy living his life the best he knew. If he was just an ordinary guy, what was it that made him a hero? He was my big brother. We were a large Italian family in Boston: Angelo and I had five sisters. It was rare and wonderful when we finally got our turn in the one bathroom in our house! The day he left for the Army, I watched as my brother walked away. I had no idea if I’d […]
