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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Cathleen Fanslow-Brunjes: The Power of Hope
November 5, 2009
Cathleen is a clinical nurse specialist she authored Using the Power of Hope to Cope with Dying, the 4 Stages of Hope. https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/audio.opentohope.com/2010/10/Cathleen-Fanslow-Brunjes-110509.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Anger a Natural Part of Grieving
November 4, 2009
Anger could never be the first stage of grief. First, you’re busy making arrangements, then you’re just numb. I figure it takes a good couple of weeks before you get good and pissed off. If you’ve never juggled before, but always wanted to, you will now have an opportunity to experience the “thrill” of trying to navigate your own grief, while donning the socially-expected stiff upper lip, while simultaneously restraining yourself from slugging someone. It’s quite a feat. Nowhere will you get more practice than when you return to work (more about that in another post). Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, in her book On Grief and Grieving, found that “anger […]
Poem: I Want To Go Home
November 3, 2009
I want to go home And, have my parents Shower me with kisses Tender, but strong hugs And, look into their eyes Feeling safe, as their child. I want to go home And, sit with them At their dinner table And, enjoy my mother’s Home cooked meals And, Dad’s story telling. I want to go home And, hold their hands Sit together with them In a peaceful silence As they watch their Favorite television program. I want to go home And, take care of them again Holding them in my arms Kissing their faces And, never letting go. I miss […]
Grief – An Ongoing Journey for Me
November 3, 2009
“There can be no knowledge without emotion. We may be aware of a truth, yet until we have felt its force, it is not ours. To the cognition of the brain must be added the experience of the soul.” Arnold Bennett (1867-1931) I turned to Hospice when I knew my parents were going to die. They were very compassionate and helped me better understand the process of dying, as well as the emotions that I would experience after their death. I read everything that I could possibly read to learn what I was about to witness with the dying process […]
Poem: Death’s Reality
October 27, 2009
I wrote this poem over and over in my head for almost two years. I did not write it down on paper until this past August. I was with my mother, holding her hand, staring into her eyes and telling her that I loved her and will never stop loving her and will never forget her. Mom was minutes away from dying, and although I tried preparing myself for her death by reading everything I possibly could about the process of dying, it did not soften the blow. Death’s Reality Decrease in blood pressure… Who will stop the pain As […]
Poem: Breathe
October 27, 2009
Child, breathe deeply again Time does not heal. It is how you use time To grieve That helps you heal. Dear, God Grief intrudes upon My daily existence. Robbing me of my breath. I have none left. Child, breathe deeply again Gradually it will fade Allowing you to accept The finality of death And, allowing you to Attend to life’s changes. Deborah Ann Tornillo Author, “36 Days Apart” http://www.authorsden.com/dtornillo
An Ongoing Journey
October 23, 2009
My mother and father’s pictures are everywhere in my home. Every morning when I awake – I see them and say “Good morning.” Throughout the day I talk with my mother and father. I share with them my tears that I still have for them, because I miss them so very much. I share with them the joyful moments of my day and yes, the angry ones. I know, with all my heart my parents would not want me to grieve for them. I can hear my father this very moment saying to me “quit making a big deal of […]
Thanksgiving
October 19, 2009
Dad passed away October 9, 2007 and Mom passed 36 days later on November 14, 2007. Today, I can now reflect back and remember how everything in my life had come to a standstill. For a year and half prior to their passing I spent every waking second of my day attending to them. They both had Alzheimer’s and, not only did it strip them of their memory and their life, more importantly it stripped me of who I am. I can now look back and realize that since February of 2006 my life has been on hold. The world […]
Poem: Shine
October 19, 2009
Shine There is a light that shines inside all Some days it is so warm and so bright Other days it is cold and just a flicker Leaving us afraid and bitter. When troubles have come our way And we lose our hope and faith Turn to our Lord, Almighty And ask for a little bit of his rays. He’ll give you back your light And, no more will it be just a flicker Instead, you’ll shine so bright Within his warmth and glowing light. Deborah Ann Tornillo Copyright© 2009 http://www.authorsden.com
