Open to Hope Articles
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Celebrating Mother’s Day When Mom’s Gone, Turn Bitter Into Sweet
May 7, 2009
Mother’s Day can be bitter-sweet if your mom’s no longer here. It’s so hard to say the word, “dead,” and in many ways, our loved ones live on–in thoughts, in stories, in how they continue to impact our lives. For many, Mother’s Day can be so painful that we do all we can to avoid it. That avoidance is part of grief, and it’s necessary for a while. Grief is like a good soldier, but there comes a time when you say “Thank you, you’ve served me well,” and you let that soldier be released from duty. After my mother died from Alzheimer’s and […]
Best Years With Mom Came Later
May 7, 2009
By Elizabeth Miles — At 17, when I was told by my Uncle Paul that I was “just like my mother,” I cringed. Why would I want to be like her? At that time my mother was down on herself. She would spend days without leaving the house or even the couch. She wanted to have a job or be involved in clubs or charities but she didn’t know how, and she would always procrastinate getting started. Why would I want to be like that? But my uncle wasn’t talking about that side of her. He hadn’t seen her in […]
Dealing With the Death of an Abusive Mother
May 4, 2009
Question: Two weeks ago, my mother died of metastatic cancer. We had a strained relationship our entire life together. Growing up she could be very cruel to me, and that is what ensued as I tried to care for her. Before her illness, we hadn’t spoken in almost 3 years, but I wanted to be there for her and support her. I forgave her before she died and asked that she forgive me, and I feel a certain amount of closure which we were able to create. But just when things were going beautifully, it was as if some demonic […]
Toasting My Mom by Eating Her Food
May 3, 2009
Three times on Mother’s Day, I’m going to raise my glass to my mother Eveline. For breakfast, it’s going to be black coffee with a cheese Danish. For lunch, it’ll be a cup of pea soup and a grilled cheese sandwich. For dinner, I’ll have a good Prime Rib with baked potatoes, fresh chives and horseradish cream. My thinking is if Eveline hasn’t come back yet as diva ectoplasm, then I need to GPS her spirit by eating her comfort foods. Food is love, comfort and memory, all bundled into one. And eating a grilled cheese sandwich will be like […]
How Do We Cope When We Lose A Loved One?
May 2, 2009
(by Evelyn Hall) A friend has lost a family member, maybe a child, husband or mother. What does one say or do? Some of us don’t know what to say, so we remain silent. Others don’t know what to do, so they remain still. I was asked to write an article about losing a loved one. I feel I have the experience to write this because I lost my best friend, my mother, three years ago. She was eighty-six and her age helped me cope with her death better than I thought I would, but it didn’t stop me from […]
Motherless: Still Learning to be an Orphan
May 1, 2009
By Lisa Peacock — Today I woke up and felt off. You all know what I am talking about. That nagging feeling that something is wrong but you just do not know what. I rolled myself out of bed and tried to throw off the heavyness that was pushing down on my shoulders. I wanted to just curl back up in bed and go back to sleep, but I was not sure why. As I struggled to uncover the inner answer I mechanically went about my day. I realized that I was longing for the comfort of my mother. I […]
Connecting With Mother After Her Death
April 30, 2009
By Jane Greer — As difficult as Mother’s Day can be when you are facing the loss of your mom, it also can become an opportunity abounding for afterlife connection if you are open to it or are ready to open up to it. Receiving a sign from your loved one is an incredibly powerful experience that brings with it tremendous healing and comfort. Most importantly, it is something that you can initiate through “transcommunication.” In my book, The Afterlife Connection – A Therapist Reveals How To Communicate With Departed Loved Ones, I teach readers how to specifically ask for […]
Does anybody want to play catch?
April 29, 2009
When I was growing up one of my favorites things to do was to play catch. It didn’t matter what the ball was. It could have been a football, baseball, or basketball, I didn’t care. I could play catch or shoot baskets for hours on end and not get the least bit bored. I always had this vision growing up that my Dad, when I was a little kid, would want to play catch with me for hours and feel like it was the greatest thing in the world he was doing at the time. […]
Daughter Resents Mother’s Happiness After Death of Father
April 28, 2009
Sasha writes in: My father passed away three years ago following a stroke. I loved him very much but I have never gotten on with my mother. My sister told me yesterday that our mother has started dating again. Apparently it’s been going on for six months – maybe more. I realise it’s childish but I’m very angry with her. I feel like it’s a betrayal of my father and of course us (the children). I should be happy with her, I know, that she’s able to get on with her life. My sister tells me that Mom keeps a […]
