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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Getting Through Loss is an ‘Accomplishment’
January 20, 2011
The early days of my widowhood were dominated by my loss. Days were sad, and I struggled to reach nightfall every day because I knew I could fall into bed exhausted and relief would come for a few hours. I didn’t have to be anyone to anybody. I just had to get through the night. The holiday seasons are kind of like those early days, months, even years of widowness. I pray to make it through without losing myself again in the depths of my grief. Well, I’m here to tell you, I survived another holiday season. Was this season what […]
Family Photos Document Life Before and After Widowhood
January 18, 2011
I don’t take a whole lot of pictures anymore. This wasn’t a conscious decision, but it is a big change from the person I used to be. In my early days as a mother, I was a huuuuge scrapbooker. I did what every typical mother does. I took one million pictures of my first born, around 500,000 of my second, and by the time the third one came around, I took about two a month, just so she would know she wasn’t born as a 5-year-old. I used to not only take pictures at events, but take them at every different angle […]
Kim Kluxen Meredith: Death of a Spouse
January 13, 2011
Kim Kluxen Meredith was a young mother when her husband David was paralyzed from the next down after a tragic automobile accident. Kim and David had to condense a lifetime of plans and wishes into his remaining hours and days. Kim is the author of Listen for Whispers-Coping With Grief and Learning to Live Again. Author of Listen for the Whispers https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/audio.opentohope.com/2011/01/OTH_Kim-Kluxen-Meredith_10_25_2010.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
The Importance of Dying at Home
January 9, 2011
When Elizabeth Edwards died last month, she was at home. When I heard that, I felt pins of jealousy pricking into me. My husband died of cancer after two years of fight: you might expect I’d hear echoes of the last days and of the loss. But no. The hurts were petty, many, and sharp. Because Gavin couldn’t die at home, the way he would have wanted. And it was because of me. Those nurses in the ICU, loving and kind to me and my little girl, who wasn’t supposed to be allowed in, but they saw how his numbers […]
In the ‘Widdahood,’ Starting the New Year Right
January 8, 2011
I’m in a funk. I know, I know…everyone is going to say that I shouldn’t be surprised, that it happens to everyone after the holidays. But it’s surprising me. I’m not quite sure why I’m experiencing this post-holiday let down. I know I used to go through it as a kid (in a BIG way), but as an adult, I’m usually just as happy to see the holidays go. Especially because the older I get, the more it seems like I blink and they’re staring me in the face once again. I think the major part of my funk is […]
‘Steering Toward Happiness’ in a New Year
January 4, 2011
Every New Year, I try to sit down, evaluate progress and failure, and write a message of hope for myself, my family and others. This year, as far as I’ve come in the five-plus years since my husband’s death, I still feel I have twice as far to go. I’ve moved from barely breathing to surviving. I hope my next step will be to thrive again. In those early days, the fog was thick, tears flowed continuously and my heart was hopeless. Now, my tears are triggered less often, my mind is clear again, and I have a working plan […]
Family Practices Teamwork After Husband/Father Dies
December 28, 2010
Our family received an amazing, unexpected Christmas gift of a very cool new TV. We went about shifting, rebuilding, figuring out cable connections, and placing the new gadget in the place of our old big screen. Somehow amidst the chaos, the daunting task of moving the old machine out to the garage ended up happening when the kids and I were home alone. As I stood looking at the old television, I remembered the day Phil and I brought it home. He was so excited. We bought the new big screen as a part of the house remodel that we […]
Holidays a Time for Relinquishment and Renewal
December 25, 2010
As a widow, I continually try to be positive in the changes and growth that have emerged in my widowhood. Attending bereavement sessions around the holidays, I hear and see the word, “surviving”. Surviving to me connotes a time of languish, a sacrifice and an insurmountable obstacle. Most of us experiencing loss have felt fleeting moments of such, but then again we may find a single bright moment that leads the way to hope and renewal and even revival on this grief journey. Holidays not only suggest shopping as with birthdays, Hanukkah and Christmas, but also include decorating, baking […]
Each Holiday Brings New Elements of Grief … and Hope
December 16, 2010
As the holidays approach, I can feel the tension in my neck begin to build. I begin to anticipate how this year will look. What will we do? Who will be around us and will I make it through again? I’m an anticipator. I stressfully anticipate and imagine all that could go wrong, all that could go right and any of the possibilities. I am hopeful. I am sad. I am grateful and I’m angry…all rolled up into one big holiday stress ball (just put a ribbon on me and I’ll be ready to go). I begin to plan and […]
