Open to Hope Articles
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Mother’s Cheerful Dying Days
April 28, 2009
By Karla Wheeler If you did a double-take when you saw the word “cheerful” in the headline above, you’re not alone. I did the same thing when I began to proofread the first draft of this Mother’s Day article. I realize “cheerful” doesn’t seem like an appropriate adjective for describing someone’s dying days, not unless that person was a positive thinker who always saw the glass as half full – to overflowing – rather than half empty. That was my mother. There she lay during her last weeks of life, bedridden from the rapid advance of lung cancer, dependent on […]
Supporting Children Dealing with Grief During the Holidays: Tips to Help
April 27, 2009
The holidays can be a magical time of year, but for children who have recently lost a parent, sibling, or another significant person in their lives, the holiday season can be an emotional minefield. It can also pose challenges for their still grieving surviving parents and other family members. “The holiday season can be particularly difficult for families with bereaved children because children carry their own expectations about the holidays, as well as their own grief over the loss,” said Bonnie Carroll, the founder and chairman of the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, TAPS. “The holiday season can be a […]
Spring cleaning…
April 22, 2009
Hopefully that summer is right around the corner (yeah right) it was hailing here in Michigan today, it is the time for year for everyone to take inventory and do the dreaded spring cleaning. Mostly, spring cleaning consists of getting rid of past stuff to make room for future stuff. Basically in the end every year, it is a recycling of some stuff always. A sense of real accomplishment comes with a good spring cleaning as new hope arises that your literal house will stay that way the whole year, if not for just a week. Last […]
Little Lauren…
April 17, 2009
Kids have such a great way of putting things into the proper perspective in life. They really make you realize that the happy times are really happy and should be celebrated and that the sad times aren’t all that bad and they will get better. Once a month, I schedule a visit with my goddaughter, Lauren. I truly look forward to hanging out and bonding with her especially since she is approaching big-girl age of 3 in May. It is so fascinating the way kids change day by day. It was really a perfect day. […]
Woman Feels Helpless to Comfort Grieving Boyfriend
April 13, 2009
Marissa writes in: My boyfriend lost his mum seven months ago, four days after having her diagnosed with a brain tumor. She was his best friend, and had a very close relationship with him. I think he didn’t have a proper grief at the beginning, he was always trying to make his dad and brother feel well while forgetting about himself. He relied on me, we started dating only 2 months before his mum died, but I have been there for him since. He’s been always saying how much he appreciates my support, and how important I am for him. […]
Happy Easters with My Dad
April 12, 2009
One of my favorite times of the year is the Easter holiday. The weather is starting to turn nice, everybody is in a good mood, there is plenty of good food to eat and everyone is on a sugar rush from all of the candy that is consumed. I always looked forward to Easter as a kid because of the simple fact of dying those Easter eggs, a tradition that many kids look forward to each year. My Mom absolutely used to hate dying Easter eggs with us. She didn’t like anything about it, but thankfully my […]
Does Caregiving Stress Your Marriage? Grow Closer in Your Caregiving Years
April 1, 2009
Is caregiving hard on a marriage? It can be. But it can also be a wake-up call. Sometimes our marriage can be defined by what we’ve survived. Yes, caregiving was stressul on marriage–at times. I wrote in my book, Mothering Mother that I felt like I was a giant ice cream milkshake and each of my family member had a straw–and they were all sucking on that straw trying to get more of me. At times, one would pick up the glass and tap the side, or another would dig deep with the spoon trying to get the last drop. […]
Preparation for Life
April 1, 2009
You know when I was growing up living with my Dad was not the easiest experience in the world. He was a strict disciplinarian and he didn’t put with any crap from me or my two sisters. He was serious, introverted, and analytical. Those who know me best would know that I am none of those things. I always thought to myself, “Gosh it would be great if my Dad was my friend or my buddy. We could do things together, hang out, talk about ‘guy stuff’. It would be great.” And you […]
Fried Clams and Healing
March 29, 2009
By Eric Tomei — One of the reasons I love my job is that we talk about food all the time. If we are not talking about food, we are eating food, planning to eat food, or wishing people would bring in food. Today at the health clinic, one of our patients was talking about fried clams, and she said that the reason that she ate them was to bond and connect with her Dad. It turns out that he had loved fried clams. Immediately, I began thinking of how many experiences I had with my dad that were similar […]
