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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Surviving Child Demonstrates Meaning of Easter
April 9, 2009
By Mitch Carmody — In December of 1987, our 9-year-old son, Kelly James, died following two arduous years of fighting brain cancer. That ensuing Christmas, we were so numb in our grief that much of it is now a faded memory. But that following Easter, we received a gift, a gift that I share it with you now. When Kelly died, his sister Meagan was 6 years old; our only child now, she was left with two grieving parents who were in a deep funk for the most of a long Minnesota winter. We had fought so long to save […]
Beryl Kaminsky: Loss of a Sibling
April 1, 2009
Beryl Kaminsky talks about the loss of her sibling and how she coped.
Washing Diane’s Body: Caring at the Crossing
March 14, 2009
By Nancy Manahan, Ph.D., and Becky Bohan. M.A. — In our last Open to Hope posting, the extraordinary final moments of Diane’s death in Nancy’s arms were described. Here, Nancy recounts what happened immediately after Diane died, most importantly, the washing of Diane’s body. This ancient ritual is being reclaimed by many families as an opportunity to honor their loved ones, to grieve, and to perform a final sacred service for them. Diane’s closest friends, Bev and Laura, arrived at the house moments after she died. I was still holding her when they entered the bedroom. They knelt beside the […]
Film Review: The Secret Life of Bees
March 10, 2009
By Linda Pountney — Multiple loss themes run concurrently throughout the movie The Secret Life Of Bees, based on Sue Monk Kidd’s novel, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood. Dakota Fanning plays Lily, a guarded fourteen-year old, grief-stricken over the death of a mother she hardly remembers. A tortured soul, Lily’s father (Paul Bettany) takes his pain out on his daughter. His cruelty contributes to Lily’s imaginary world where her mother exists to nurture her. Lily embarks on a journey to uncover the truth about her mother. Her nanny Rosaleen (Jennifer Hudson) accompanies her on a trip that crosses racial boundaries during […]
Michelle Linn-Gust: Notice Signs that Loved Ones are Still Here
January 1, 2009
By Michelle Linn-Gust —
Reminders of a Brother Who Rarely Saw the Sky
December 20, 2008
By Elizabeth DeVita-Raeburn — A few years ago, I ended up at the American Folk Art Museum quite by accident. A friend was visiting from out of town, and we’d intended to go to the newly opened MOMA. But the lines were insane. Next door, at the AFAM, however, there were no lines at all. So we thought, what the heck? It’s a great museum. But what very much caught my attention was an exhibit on prison art. To be honest, I don’t remember the details. But the idea that these people were expressing what it was like to live […]
