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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A Butterfly’s Journey Resilience the Key to Surviving Loss
July 7, 2020
Barbara J Hopkinson with Co-Host, Alan Pedersen discuss resilience. The International Day of Hope and Healing After Loss, this is a first-of-a-kind, virtual experience bringing together major organizations and leaders in the field devoted to supporting the bereaved. Our mission is to provide an uplifting day of hope and healing to those grieving the loss of a loved one, a loss made more difficult due to this pandemic. https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/www.opentohope.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/A-Butterflys-Journey-Resilience-the-Key-to-Surviving-Loss.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
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David Kessler Finding Meaning The Sixth Stage of Grief
July 4, 2020
The International Day of Hope and Healing After Loss, this is a first-of-a-kind, virtual experience bringing together major organizations and leaders in the field devoted to supporting the bereaved. Our mission is to provide an uplifting day of hope and healing to those grieving the loss of a loved one, a loss made more difficult due to this pandemic. David Kessler’s experience with thousands of people on the edge of life and death has taught him the secrets to living a happy and fulfilled life, even afterlife’s tragedies. He is the author of six books, including the new bestselling book, […]
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When Nothing Seems to Matter: Surviving the Death of Your Child
July 2, 2020
This is an excerpt from LOST to FOUND: Surviving the Death of Your Child by Basia Mosinski, which is available at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1720222657 We cried and cried and cried. We were in shock. We were fearful. We were in disbelief. We asked questions. We became angry. We didn’t sleep and we were numb. We were jolted out of our ordinary lives of ‘normal’ expectation and predictability when our nightmare happened: our child…our loved one was taken from us by illness, or accident. They are gone through their own intention, by their hand or at the hand of someone else. The day our […]
Nathan Peterson: Dance Again
June 11, 2020
Singer-songwriter Nathan Peterson is currently celebrating the release of two solo albums and two books about the life and passing of his beautiful daughter, Olivia.Over the past two decades, Nathan has created a body of work which invites our culture to rest in the midst of the storms of life. nathanpeterson.net https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/www.opentohope.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Nathan-Peterson-Dance-Again.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
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Relationships Make the Difference in Grief
June 5, 2020
Excerpted from When Every Day Matters: A Mother’s Memoir on Love, Loss and Life (Simple Abundance Press) on Amazon I always felt so close to my husband, Dick, as I observed him loving Katie, loving Richard, our son. He was never jealous of all the attention I gave to our kids right from the start. A wife can feel that; she knows the difference. As a couple we worried about Richard because his nature was sweet and sensitive and because the reality of our tie with Katie naturally meant that there was less time to focus on him. We did […]
Living and Telling Your Own Story
May 30, 2020
This is an excerpt from Grief From the Inside Out: Creating Meaning Around the Loss of a Child from Substance Abuse or Suicide, By Fran Gerstein, MSW, LCSW. It is available through Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/0999563513/ GPS When I lost my child a small, quavering voice appeared— not quite mine, not quite not mine. It announced, through static, that I was being rerouted. I tried to follow the orange signs marked Detour but they led me to the edge of a cliff. Still trusting and obedient, I drove right off. When I regained consciousness, I lay there for months […]
Do’s and Don’ts of Self-Care After the Loss of a Child
May 25, 2020
This is an excerpt from Grief From the Inside Out: Creating Meaning Around the Loss of a Child from Substance Abuse or Suicide, By Fran Gerstein, MSW, LCSW. It is available through Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/0999563513/ Do remind yourself that you are important Losing a child makes you feel empty and challenges your sense of purpose, especially if you have identified yourself first and foremost as a parent. Chances are there are many other people who need you, and things you have yet to accomplish. As you grieve, you must also focus on these future goals and keep them in mind. […]
The Survival Instinct vs. Grief
May 25, 2020
This excerpt is from LOST to FOUND: Surviving the Death of Your Child by Basia Mosinski. It is available at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1720222657 The survival instinct is strong but not stronger than grief. Many people in grief battle every day between holding on and letting go. The world feels like a crazy place. For a while it feels as though time is moving in slow motion while our minds are racing. Synchronicity grabbed my attention because it was the one thing that helped me feel connected to the eternal part of my being. If I could connect with that part of me, I could […]
Sacred ‘Force’ Brings Contact Between Mother and Deceased Daughter
May 8, 2020
I have always appreciated connections, family and friends alike. After the death of my daughter, those connections became even more important. Sharing stories about her are cathartic and a means to keep her alive. Her death was traumatic. While I cannot negate the loss of anyone, it is that much more devastating when it is the loss of a child. Her death was sudden and senseless. She was a single working mother and a victim of gun violence. As a lifelong gun safety advocate, the shock of this event was unfathomable then as it is now, eleven years later. […]
