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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Kim Go: Finding Peace After Loss
September 27, 2010
Kim Go was able to eventually find peace after the loss of her dear husband. https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/audio.opentohope.com/2010/10/OTH_Kim-Go_09_27_2010.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Husband’s Art During Illness Reflects Days of Hope
September 9, 2010
In the early days of painting in the basement of our Vancouver rental, my husband’s canvases were filled with darker colors and hues. The small lower left corner often harbored the hope.This is where you could find the brighter tones, pushing up the dark curtain that bore down heavily. We were less than a third of the way through Gary’s battle with Hodgkins Disease. Some people resist this war terminology and I understand why, but the way Gary came at his illness with everything he had is the most accurate depiction of our story. He fought every step of the […]
Widow: ‘I Miss My Reflection in His Eyes’
September 8, 2010
Today I was driving, and the thought of someone I used to work with came to my mind. I couldn’t think of his name. Who was that kid with glasses? Was it Dex? Or Dax? Then, I thought: My husband Dave would know. Yes, Dave would know. We worked together and have so many shared memories and experiences. That’s what folks do when they fall in love and decide to spend their lives together. They share almost everything with each other. That’s what we did. Fifteen years together…same friends, same shared favorite places, music, etc., etc., etc. So, I drove, […]
Widow Finds Way to Feel at ‘Home’
September 6, 2010
We all go through different stages in our lives. And all of those stages affect us differently. And how we deal with those stages shape the people we become. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about when my husband and I were first married, when I was at the ripe old age of 20. Actually, I got married 3 weeks after I turned 20 because I refused to get married as a teenager. So, at the beginning of my marriage, we had no money. Like I-felt-guilty-about-buying-a-pair-of-socks… no money. My husband had a good, steady job, but I was still in […]
Shhhh…Listen Closely. It’s the Sound of Someone Healing
August 27, 2010
I always thought that going through a profound loss would make someone an expert on loss. I mean, we always work with what we know, right? You would think after experiencing the death of my husband that I would be one of those people who knew what to say when someone else was going through something similar. That I would have some magical words of comfort. That I would finally know the secret handshake that gets you into the National Grievers Society and thereby bestows upon you everything you need to know about healing others. That I wouldn’t be as […]
Loss of Husband Makes Life Doubly Hard
August 26, 2010
When you’re a couple in a family, there are things that are no brainers. Who will run to the grocery store, who will pick up the kids, who will help with the kids’ outings and clubs? There are two of you. Together, you can divide and conquer. When one of the two is dying, you can prepare for many things. But you can’t prepare for the small stuff, the little daily things that together you handled, handled even joyfully: those little no brainers. There have been many days that would have been a no brainer since my husband’s death. Just […]
Woman Misses Husband Who Was ‘Finder’ and ‘Keeper’
August 21, 2010
I always used to get upset when I lost something. Other people could misplace a key, lose a glove, or forget where they set down their wallet without going nuts. But whenever that happened to me, I went into a panic. I actually felt my blood pressure rise–and who needed that? Fortunately, I was married to a “finder” for 56 years. (Obviously, he also was a “keeper.”) A patient, careful man who always secretly yearned to be a detective, my husband would start at the top of our home and search every corner until he exclaimed with great satisfaction “I’ve […]
Rosalie Stolinski Sicilaiano
August 20, 2010
Rosalie Stolinski Sicilaiano’s husband died of a brain aneurysm. https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/audio.opentohope.com/2010/10/OTH_Rosalie-Stilinski-Siciliano_9_20_2010.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Sandra Straub: Death 101
August 12, 2010
Sandra Straub’s husband died suddenly at the age of 31 of a brain aneurism. Here she talks about coping and healing. https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/audio.opentohope.com/2010/10/OTH_Sandra-H-Staub-06_14_10.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
