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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An Egg Today? Or a Hen Tomorrow? Our Choices in Grief
May 7, 2009
I’m a big believer in fortune cookies. In fact, I’ve long thought that if read very loudly — so that everyone else in the restaurant can hear — the fortunes will come true! I don’t know if there is any way to scientifically prove my theory, but I do like to test it each time we go out for Chinese food. I loudly read the last fortune cookie I opened; however, it offered more of what I’d consider a proverb than an actual fortune: “It is better to have a hen tomorrow than an egg today.” […]
Logelin and Hernandez: Loss of a Spouse
April 30, 2009
Matt and Michelle share their journey through widowhood. https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/audio.opentohope.com/2009/04/Logelin_&_Neff_Hernandez_043009.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Nature’s Remedy – Allowing the Universe to Embrace Us in Our Pain and Need
April 21, 2009
Responding to How Do I Cope After the Death of My Husband?, Annalise wrote: “When does the pain ease off?? Two months today and getting worse.” Beverly Chantalle McManus, Grief Companion, responds: Annalise, first of all, please accept my deepest compassion for your loss. The death of a spouse is one of the hardest things anyone will have to go through, and only those who have experienced it can really understand the depth of pain and loss you are experiencing. We’re glad you reached out, and hope that knowing you’re not alone will help ease the pain and loneliness. I […]
Words of Wisdom: ‘Hold On!’
April 19, 2009
By Luellen Hoffman — His cell phone call came to me at 7:00 am and I knew right away something was wrong. My son had just driven up to Detroit with his girlfriend to attend the NCAA Final Four basketball games and was driving back Tuesday morning when they hit bad weather — snow and ice on the Penn Turnpike. His girlfriend was driving the car and they weren’t speeding, 64 mph when they hit ice and she lost control of the car. My son had been asleep, in the passenger seat, when he awoke to her screams and the […]
How Do You Grieve For an Ex-Spouse?
April 6, 2009
By Mel Glazer — My first wife died several weeks ago. We were married almost thirty years, we have four kids and four grandsons, and we were divorced four years ago. Donna was sick for many years, and her body finally gave out. As sad as it was, it was also a relief. As I am fond of saying, The Angel of Death is not always an enemy, and in this case it was true. But as difficult as the last years might have been between us, her death created new and wrenching dilemmas for me and the kids. I […]
Sandra Pesman: Widowhood and the Internet
April 2, 2009
After the loss of Sandra’s husband she began the Widows List on the internet to help women after the loss of their husbands. https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/audio.opentohope.com/2009/04/Sandra_Pesman_040209.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Fern Stewart Welch: Hope After Spouse Loss
April 1, 2009
Fern Stewart Welch: Hope After Loss of a Spouse.
Karen James: Hope After the Loss of a Husband
April 1, 2009
Karen James shares her story of hope after the loss of her husband.
Caregivers: Be Gentle With Yourselves
March 31, 2009
By Karla Wheeler When someone we love is terminally ill, it can be the most challenging time in our lives physically, emotionally, socially, and even spiritually. But if we can learn to be gentle with ourselves, newfound energy awaits us on all levels. GO GENTLY. GO GENTLY. This became my mantra, the phrase that kept running through my brain when my 54-year-old husband of 30 years was dying of cancer. I’d be stuck in traffic, late for an important doctor’s appointment about Gerry’s latest x-rays or CT scans. My heart would pound as I willed the stoplight to turn green, […]
