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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Youth Violence Often the Result of Traumatic Losses
September 3, 2009
By Suzy Yehl Marta — Josh was a quiet kid, a seventh grader in a mid-size, Midwest city whose parents’ divorce left him bereft. Fortunately, his school offered a peer-support group for students struggling with family transitions, and Josh chose to attend. Meeting every week, the kids in the group shared their pain, confusion and divided loyalties. But not Josh. Despite faithfully coming to each session, he remained the quiet boy who sat to the side and didn’t say a word. Is he getting anything out of this program? the facilitator wondered. One day, after the other students drifted from the […]
Creating a ‘Grief Friendly’ Workplace
September 1, 2009
For many of us, our workmates are like our second family. So it’s crucial that when someone at work suffers a loss, this “second family” is there to help. After my mother died, I don’t think that I was a very good employee. I felt like I couldn’t show my grief at work, that I should act like my “normal” self. That in itself was exhausting. People in the workplace were sympathetic for a short time and then, like the rest of society, they tended to “move on.” In the meantime, I could barely make it through my daily work responsibilities. How could I not make […]
The things you miss…
August 26, 2009
One of my patients in the clinic was telling me about how his shoulder problem was preventing him for throwing with his son who is a pitcher on his baseball team. In fact that was his number one goal to throw a baseball again and throw it well with his son. It was exciting to talk to someone who had such a passion for the game as he played it just like I did. He was outlining his throwing motion to me and I was dissecting it and determining what exercises would be best for his particular situation. Having played […]
When the Ground Shakes: Why Many Ill Patients Need Structure
August 21, 2009
I was concerned when I came home and couldn’t find my mother. The back of the house has a steep incline off the deck that leads to a forested area. When I saw that the gate leading down the stairs was open, concern turned to panic. At that time, she was in her mid-sixties and often became confused when situations or discussions were anything other than linear. I raced down the stairs expecting the worst. There she was, emerging through a stand of trees, carrying a handful of leaves and twigs, smiling as if she just solved a complex puzzle. […]
Does Grief End? Turning the Corner Takes Work, Faith, Patience
August 21, 2009
People who come for grief therapy often ask, “How long does this sadness last?” “Does it ever get better?” “Will I ever wake up some morning and feel something different than what I’m feeling now?” Though the questions are usually the same, the answers are not! I have learned from listening to others and from working through my own grief experiences, that length of grief time, changes in feelings, and turning the grief corners not only vary from person to person, but also vary for a single individual, depending upon the grief situation. After the death of my mother, as an eleven-year-old, I was stuck […]
Caregivers Struggle When Parents Age
August 21, 2009
Most families of our generation don’t talk much about feelings, but when our parent is aging or ill, many emotional issues arise for both the primary caregiver and for other family members. It can be a very challenging time for everyone. My neighbor recently experienced this when her mother in New York state broke her hip in a fall. She and her siblings had very different emotional reactions to the crisis. Some were “too busy” to help while others implied that they couldn’t cope. Kathy was the adult child who was able and willing to take charge of the situation, […]
Should Daughter Protect Elderly Father From Bad Woman?
August 21, 2009
Karen writes in with a question: Our mother passed away two years ago, and we have recently found out that our dad is dating again. My brothers and I do have an issue with him dating, but we have an issue with the character of person choice to date. How should my brothers and I handle our senior citizen father dating an acquaintance of his son’s that the entire family knows is a drug addict and a prostitute? Dr. Gloria Horsley, founder of Open to Hope, responds: Dear Karen, First let me say how sorry I am to hear of […]
Does Grief End? Hearing the ‘Voice’ of My Father
August 21, 2009
When I was fifteen years old, my daddy passed away of a massive heart attack. I was at school and got called to the office to hear the most horrifying news of my life on the telephone. The voice on the other end was a lady co-worker of his; she told me he had dropped while at work. After falling to my knees, I broke into tears. I soon collected myself enough to call my momma and give her the news. Arriving at the hospital and seeing him on life support felt as if I were in a dream. How […]
Does Grief End? The Last Bag of Clothes
August 21, 2009
Mom died one year ago. When she died, we sorted through all of her clothes and divided them into two categories. The first category was the clothes that I wanted to keep, either because I was going to wear them or because they had a special meaning for me. The second group was the clothes that we planned to give away to people who needed them. We made three bags of these. My family members dropped off two of the bags at the second-hand clothing store. I promised that I would take the final bag and drop it off … […]
