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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It is Love, Not Death, That Causes Pain
August 21, 2009
Only in the spirit of love, not under the sign of death, do the rituals of memory reveal themselves as the beloved’s living presence. (November Rose: A Speech on Death) Two years ago, on All Soul’s-All Saints’ day, the chaplain of The Cathedral School in New York City invited me to speak about my experiences with grief, death, and survival at the Cathedral of St. John of the Divine. The chaplain instructed me that my audience would be comprised of children ranging from Kindergarten through 8th grade, as well as faculty and parents, and that my remarks should not exceed […]
Pat and Kim Gibson: Lasting Memories of Our Parents
July 9, 2009
Pat and Kim Gibson are the founders of Elegant Memorials, Funeral Program Templates and Keepsakes. https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/audio.opentohope.com/2009/07/Pat_and_Kim_Gibson_070909.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Lifting the Veil: Gloom Ends at a Wedding
July 5, 2009
By Michele Neff Hernandez — The death of someone instrumental in our lives instantly changes our view of the world. Ordinary things are suddenly fraught with meaning, and insignificant moments become unexpectedly precious. After my husband Phil’s death I remember thinking that grief swooped in and stole my rose-colored glasses, leaving me with a pair of dark shades instead. I was quite certain that rose was no longer my color. This darker world view made every life celebration bittersweet…or sometimes just plain bitter. Movies became minefields, attending weddings became tortuous, walking down the street beside hand-holding couples made me feel […]
Grief Book Review: Sea Changes
July 4, 2009
By Abel Keogh — Ever since my late wife died, I’ve had a hard time reading fiction where the main character is a widow or widower. Though the authors try hard, most of them don’t do a good job of capturing what it’s like to lose a spouse. Oh sure, most of them do a good job describing the sense of loss and grief that accompanies the death of a spouse, but when it comes to the internal emptiness that comes with it, most of them fall short. So when I learned that Gail Graham’s latest novel, Sea Changes, was […]
Being a Successful Single Dad
July 2, 2009
Being a single dad is tough. Even though it is the 21st century and there’s a diversity of family configurations, being a single dad is tough. It can be rewarding and gratifying too. But it’s nonetheless tough. It is tough because one person is on for the all of the responsibilities. There are schedules to organize and adapt to. There are too many days when you are simply too tired to do one more thing. Maybe you don’t feel equipped to handle the challenges, much less calendars. Perhaps you are not convinced your instinct or decision is the correct one. Complicating […]
Will You Overcome Grief or Will Grief Overcome You?
June 28, 2009
By Jack Cain Someone has died, or you have experienced some other devastating loss, and grief has virtually taken over your life. It arrives in towering waves that engulf and own you, all at once. I can tell you this because I lived it. Three people in my family died in a 20-month period, of unrelated causes. My son, Adam, committed suicide at age 27; then my wife, Lenore, died of ovarian cancer, after having survived breast cancer four years previously; my daughter, Stephanie, died at age 34 of congestive heart failure, less than three months after the death of […]
Bereaved Eyes
June 17, 2009
“…Eyes — the windows to our soul…” She seemed so small and frail in the graduation party atmosphere. And yet this was her granddaughter’s party–a gathering of family and friends amid the festive tiki lights and streamers of tiny lanterns. High school had commenced for her granddaughter and in the late summer the youth would be ready to head out to the exciting world of college. Friends bringing congratulatory gifts were decorated in smiles and small talk. A grandmother deserved to be proud and happy at a time like this. Perhaps few outside of the immediate family could see what […]
Taking Baby Steps on the Grief Journey
June 10, 2009
We’re right in the middle of baseball season. One of our family’s favorite pastimes was to attend the Giants games at the old Candlestick Park in San Francisco, where we’d shiver in the bleachers as we cheered on our team. I still picture Steve with his Giants’ cap, Giants’ sweatshirt, and baseball mitt in hand (just in case he was in a position to catch a wild ball that was hit into the stands). Our daughters and I were always more interested in the antics of the other fans, in finding that elusive malt vendor, and in just staying warm […]
How Should You Help a Grieving Widow?
June 10, 2009
By Michele Neff Hernandez — Grief is a thief; it steals the breath of life and leaves devastation in its wake. What happens when grief robs a woman of not only her husband, but also her ability to cope with the world around her? How do friends and family members know when that widow is in a dangerous place?? The answers to these questions can only be discovered if we are willing to plant our own feet next to a widow, and walk a portion of the journey by her side. A young woman lost her husband in a car […]
