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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Responding to Multiple Losses: ‘Power in the Broken Heart’
June 1, 2012
The bare bones story of my life is this: I lost two daughters to a vile and nasty genetic disease called Cystic Fibrosis. My older daughter, Heather, was twelve when she died undergoing a bronchial lavage that was meant to prolong her life. My younger daughter, Holly, died twelve days following an unsuccessful bilateral lung transplant that we thought would give her new life. During those twelve long days, Holly was comatose. She was twenty-two when the medical team decided to unplug the equipment that were keeping her vital functions going. Five years later, my husband, the girls’ father, put […]
Letting Go to Move Forward
May 28, 2012
I’m sure my friends wondered why I still had the sympathy cards up 6 months after my husband died. I found them comforting. It visually confirmed all our friends and family that cared for my daughters and me. I wasn’t ready to put them away. I needed to find a special place for them and decided one day I’d get around to it. The closets were still untouched. One of Nelson’s shirts had a musty smell. Had it been that long? My husband died in April and now it was October. Many friends offered their help. I knew they just […]
Strength and Glory after Husband’s Death: Elegy to a Tree
May 23, 2012
About six months after my husband, Marty, passed away I turned to the creative voice within me to help me express my soul’s grief. After enrolling in a drawing class, we were given the assignment to go outside and draw a tree. I did indeed have a favorite tree, outside my house on the golf course and I would sit and look at it in the sunshine and the lightning storms, taking great comfort in its strength and dignity. When I took my drawing pad outside to work on this assignment, to my horror and dismay I discovered that […]
Siblings Grieve Too-Webinar with Dr. Gloria and Dr. Heidi Horsley
May 21, 2012
Losing a sibling is one of the worst things that can ever happen; it turns your world upside down. Your sibling is part of your past, and you expect this relationship to continue throughout adulthood. In this webinar, the presenters provide tips on how to help siblings cope after a loss. They discussed what helped them, after the death of their 17-year-old brother and son, and what has helped the thousands of bereaved siblings they have worked with. This webinar also addresses the unique aspects and challenges of sibling death. Siblings are given the message that they must be “strong […]
Dr Jill LaMorie-Widowed Parents Grieving
May 21, 2012
Dr Jill LaMorie and Dr Gloria Horsley talk about the grieving process of widowed parents at the annual Association of Death Education and Counseling.
After Husband’s Suicide, Joy of Living Eventually Returns
May 5, 2012
When I got the call that my husband had died, the only sound I could hear was a piercing wail making its way with disturbing efficiency throughout the house. That shriek was an immovable savage that sucked the air out of me and left me trying to focus on where I was. I was confused for what seemed like an eternity and then, although it was a voice I had never heard before, I realized the shriek was mine. I stopped screaming only because I ran out of breath. My daughters then 14 and 10, having mistaken my shrieks for […]
Cheryl Eckl-A Beautiful Death, Facing the Future with Peace
April 30, 2012
At the Association of Death Education and Counseling Cheryl Eckl talks about her book, A Beautiful Death: Facing the Future with Peace. This is the story of the transformational journey she and her husband, Stephen shared—throughout his illness and death from colon cancer in 2008. It’s a story of courage that will inspire you on your own journey with loss.
Love Well Because Loss Can Occur Any Time
April 30, 2012
The bulls make money, the bears make money, but the hogs get slaughtered, a famous warning from the gurus on Wall Street. Greed takes many forms but it is never good. It demands. It feeds selfishness and it will ultimately consume its creator. Greed always backs the looser, especially in a marriage. Annamarie, a thirtyish financial adviser, petite and feisty talked business from her cell phone while she raced down the Long Island Expressway into Manhattan. Her passion for perfection was matched only by her husband’s love of simplicity. Harry, a Robert Redford type, looked more like a student than […]
The Storm, the Dove, Renewal
April 21, 2012
A week or two ago, a beautiful dove built a nest in a palm tree next to my house. It was nestled in a space where a palm frond had been, and there she sat on two white eggs. None of the activity of the house scared her away – lawn mowing, power washing the house, the pool generator. That mother dove centered herself on her nest in a tranquil and protective state as she waited for her eggs to hatch. She brought peace and optimism with her. My significant other –my love partner – and I would go outside […]
