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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Alan Pedersen: Healing Guilt and Regret
May 7, 2020
Do you ever wonder what you could have done or should have done to save your loved one from death? Where do you go from here? Dr. Gloria and Dr. Heidi speak with Alan Pedersen about grief and healing. https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/www.opentohope.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Alan-Pedersen-Healing-Guilt-and-Regret.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Finding Joy Again In Service with Debbie Ford Dullabaun
April 23, 2020
Debbie Ford Dullabaun was a full time mother to her son, Dale Lee Dullabaun, III, born August 23, 1992. After his untimely and devastating death on October 29, 1998, she began to work in his memory with several non-profit organizations. (including the American Red Cross and DART (Domestic Abuse Response Team), a partnership with the Los Angeles Police Department and The Domestic Abuse Center, as a Victim’s Advocate-Trainer.) This was all made possible because she and her husband Dale were taken by the hand to their first meeting of The Compassionate Friends. After receiving the support so desperately needed in […]
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What’s the Difference When Grieving For a Child?
April 6, 2020
The loss of any loved one is a terrible blow that hurts our hearts and leaves us inconsolable. However, when a parent loses a child, it’s a different type of grief that can be one of the toughest to overcome. I personally believe that you never “overcome”grieving for a child. But, that the sting can become less and you can learn to tolerate the pain somewhat better as time – like many years – goes by. Grieving For a Child The baring of this pain also depends on the cause. A child dying in unbearable pain is different than a […]
How Many Children Do I Have Now?
March 27, 2020
Excerpt from Standing on One Leg by Neal Raisman which is available through the author at iduhpres@hotmail.com How many children do you have? Do I have? Did I have? How do I answer that? How do I stop the rising sadness as I think. I had two. Now. One? No two. He always exists/ Even if he doesn’t. He is here. No. I don’t know where he is. Is he anywhere? I have one. Shana. But I had two Shana and Issac. So what is the answer? How can I respond without denying him or the truth. I have one […]
Shari O’Loughlin: Compassionate Friends Giving Hope In A Time of Anxiety
March 27, 2020
The death of her 14 year old son, Connor in a small plane crash led Shari O’Loughlin on a journey to be the Executive Director of the Compassionate Friends. Shari is a transformational life and business coach, speaker, and author of Life from the Ashes. Shari believes that discovering what’s on the other side of loss and tragedy can help us to lead more powerful lives filled with meaning and joy. https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/www.opentohope.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Shari-OLoughlin-Compassionate-Friends-Giving-Hope-In-A-Time-of-Anxiety.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Kjerstin Davies Coronavirus Triggers Grief
March 19, 2020
Kjerstin Davies is the president and cofounder of Charlie’s Guys, a national nonprofit that provides bereaved siblings 18 years and younger with a gift or experience to help them on their grief journey. Kjerstin brings her expertise to the organization as a former event planner, child advocate, and child educator. https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/www.opentohope.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Kjerstin-Davies-Covid-19-Coronavirus-Triggers-Grief.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Unthinkable
March 9, 2020
Excerpted from The Unthinkable: Life, Loss and a Mother’s Mission to Ban Illegal Guns, available on Amazon. Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life without them is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly. — Langston Hughes I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge – myth is more potent than history – dreams are more powerful than facts – hope always triumphs over experience – laughter is the cure for grief – love is stronger than death. — Robert Fulghum Dreams reflect the essence of the innermost thoughts and feelings of the human soul. In some […]
Accepting Comfort in the Early Days
February 28, 2020
This is an excerpt from When Every Day Matters: A Mother’s Memoir on Love, Loss and Life (Simple Abundance Press), available on Amazon The loss of Jennifer (my sister’s five-year old child) was monumental for everyone. I felt woefully inadequate in comforting my sister, Eileen, or my mother because no one, not even a big sister or daughter, can give much to a mother who has lost her precious child. That mother or grandmother wants only one thing: that child back in her arms. The years 1988 and 1989 were sad and dark periods of mourning for our family and […]
Early Days After Child-Loss: Survival
February 28, 2020
Excerpted from When Every Day Matters: A Mother’s Memoir on Love, Loss and Life (Simple Abundance Press) on Amazon. When you really want to pray for something and you do not receive it, you tend to believe that your prayer was not answered….it is true that at times your prayer is not answered in a direct way ….Unknown to you, that prayer has secretly worked on another aspect of the situation and effected a transfiguration which may become visible only at a later stage. ~John O’Donohue~ Eternal Echoes July 14, 1999 Dear Katie, Today you have been gone four days. […]
