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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First Hours After a Sister’s Murder: Big Questions
June 12, 2010
Many people have suffered some kind of loss of a loved one through death. Personally, I’ve lost both sets of grandparents, my father, two uncles and four aunts, not to mention family friends. But nothing prepared me for the questions — and complications — that followed my sister’s death. My sister died on September 18, 2009 . She was found in her home on the bathroom floor. My sister and I shared a wonderful relationship, one of unconditional love and acceptance. It was a relationship that I thought was relatively normal between sisters. I have since learned, through sharing my […]
10 Years After Brother’s Suicide, Sister Remembers
April 5, 2010
By Cindy My mom runs a website for suicide awareness and prevention, in memory of my brother Keith. I admire her for this. My mom believes that Keith’s spirit is communicated through butterflies, dragonflies and jet trail X’s in the sky. I love this about my mom. My mom has asked me to write something for her website many times. She used to ask me once a year to write something, every year around the time of Keith’s death. Finally she gave up and stopped asking, and I don’t blame her! The last time I wrote about Keith was shortly […]
Remembering ‘My Sister and My Best Friend’
March 13, 2010
My beloved sister Donna was a gentle, loving, caring soul. She was my trusted confidant, my witness, my cheerleader, and my best friend. She died September 6, 2002, at age 49. Donna was was born three-and-a-half years after me. She was there for me, I for her. We were giddy and vulnerable with each other. I remember walking down the street with her, holding her hand, thinking about how lucky I was to have her as my very own sister. Our commitment and our sense of knowing one another was astounding. A glance into her eyes affirmed my joyous reality: […]
Grief and Joy
January 29, 2010
When I think of grieving, I think of pain and sadness. I think of my stomach in knots, tears flowing uncontrollably and a broken heart. Joy has no place in grief at first glance. To me, grief is like a precious vase or plate that shatters into pieces. You look at all of your feelings and pieces of love and wonder how you can ever repair it—it feels destroyed. Life isn’t perfect and we will all experience loss and grief. It is something we all will share at some time or another. For some of us, it may be an […]
Poem: A Thousand Words
January 7, 2010
Your eyes follow me everywhere Never breaking their gaze. When I look into them I’m lost and in a daze. Your eyes always speak to me Sending a loving message From the heavenly kingdom You’re now rejoicing in. Your eyes follow me everywhere Never breaking their gaze. They sparkle with a smile Setting my tear drops ablaze. Your pictures are everywhere Because of my undying love. You’re my mother and father That I wished I could hug. Pictures speak a thousand words You guide me throughout my day. I miss you Mom and Dad In the most heartfelt way. Deborah […]
Without My Twin: Reflections On A Road Traveled
January 4, 2010
A new twin joined our twinloss Yahoo group. He has recently lost his twin. I related to his words about how we draw strength from our connection to our twin. The intrinsic nature of twin connectedness was made clearer for me. It is this connection or bond that when severed, brought in the feelings of aloneness like none I have ever known. With facing my grief and learning to reach out in trust to others, this aloneness has changed to something that nurtures me in the tough times… my twinship. Fierce and uncontrollable, my fury at my twin Paula’s sudden […]
The Role of Ritual Following a Major Loss
December 29, 2009
Several years ago, I was watching news coverage following the crash of a passenger plane that killed all on board. The plane actually crashed into the ocean so over the next few days, survivor families gathered at the shore nearest to where the plane had gone down to gather information, comfort one another, and engage in memorial rituals. Some family members chartered helicopters to fly over the actual crash site; many survivors participated in impromptu candlelight vigils; literally hundreds joined together for a more formal ceremony that culminated in throwing wreaths of flowers onto the water at sunset. One broadcast […]
Honor the Deceased, Even if Relationship Was Broken
December 10, 2009
When my brother died in the spring of 2007, I barely had time to mourn him. Our elder daughter — mother of our twin grandchildren — had died four months earlier. My father-in-law died the same weekend and we were swamped with tasks. We were also doing all we could to nurture our grandchildren — children who were now without a mother. Grief was still raw when my brother had a heart attack and died. Apparently, he had survived cancer treatment, but his heart had not. We attended the memorial service on Long Island, flew home, and tried to put […]
Hanging Up the Holiday Blues
November 24, 2009
I believe, maybe because it helps me heal, that my brother would want me to enjoy the holidays. His car accident was in December almost 15 years ago, and that December date catches up with me each year. I start to hide from the world around mid-November. I want to sleep more. I blink back tears watching sappy commercials. I don’t feel like working or working out at the gym. It happens right on cue every year, but it took me several years to realize it. I just thought it was holiday stress. Now I recognize it right away and know […]
