Bereavement, Complicated Grief, Open to Hope, Self Care, Your Grief

Grief vs. Depression: How to Tell the Difference (and When to Get Help)

Wednesday, July 15, 2026

Grief and depression can look alike, but they are not the same — and knowing the difference matters. Here’s how to tell grief from clinical depression, why they sometimes overlap, and when it’s time to reach out for help.

Bereavement, Children & Teens, Open to Hope, Special Topics, Your Grief

Talking to Children About Death: An Age-by-Age Guide for Bereaved Families

Monday, July 13, 2026

Talking to children about death is one of the hardest conversations bereaved families face — and one of the most important. Here is an age-by-age guide to talking to kids about death, what language to use, and how to support grieving children of every age.

Bereavement, Open to Hope, Self Care, Special Topics, Your Grief

The Loneliness of Grief: Why You Feel So Alone (And What Actually Helps)

Monday, June 29, 2026

The loneliness of grief is one of the most universal and least talked-about parts of bereavement. Even surrounded by people, you can feel utterly alone. Here are 7 compassionate ways to navigate grief loneliness and slowly build connection through the hardest season.

Bereavement, Open to Hope, Self Care, Special Topics, Your Grief

Grief Triggers: When a Song, Smell, or Phrase Knocks You Sideways

Friday, June 19, 2026

Grief triggers are the unexpected reminders that knock you sideways months or years after a loss — a song on the radio, a familiar smell, a stranger’s phrase. Here’s why grief triggers happen, what to do when one ambushes you, and 8 ways to live alongside them.

Bereavement, Open to Hope, Self Care

Keeping Memories Fresh Despite the Passage of Time

Tuesday, May 26, 2026

It’s Spring and you find yourself watching people around you excitedly making plans for their upcoming summer vacations. Instead, what are you doing? You are thinking about how much you miss your loved one. How long has it been? Bereaved people are often asked this question. I ask it of you, “How long has it been?” Now answer this question: “How long does it feel like it’s been?” A common answer is, “On one hand it feels like yesterday. On the other, it feels like a long time ago.” Why do we experience our lives like this? How can something […]

Bereavement, Death of a Sibling, Open to Hope, Self Care, Special Topics, Your Grief

Sibling Loss: Why Surviving Brothers and Sisters Are the Forgotten Grievers

Thursday, May 14, 2026

Surviving siblings are sometimes called the forgotten grievers. Brothers and sisters lose their oldest witness, their playmate, the keeper of their childhood — and the world too often expects them to be the strong one. Here’s why sibling loss is uniquely complicated, and 7 ways to honor your grief.

Bereavement, Complicated Grief, Open to Hope

The Second Year of Grieving

Tuesday, April 21, 2026

How many times have we heard it, or perhaps we’ve even said something like it ourselves: “Oh man, the first year after they died was hard, but I think the second year, in some ways, has been even harder.” It doesn’t seem fair, and how can it be fair that the second year of grieving can feel more challenging than the first? If and when that happens for us, it can feel rather crazy-making. Did I do something wrong? Is this normal? How can this even make sense? Good questions, and the answers to the first two are likely “no” […]

Bereavement, Open to Hope, Your Grief

Some Souls Weren’t Meant To Stay Long 

Friday, April 10, 2026

I’ve come to believe that some souls simply aren’t meant to stay here long. And I don’t say that lightly. It’s not something I understand in any earthly way, because truthfully, I don’t. There’s no logic that can explain why someone we love so deeply could be here one day and gone the next. If there’s a reason, I wish I knew it. But I don’t. What I do believe is that we’re each sent here to touch certain lives. To love certain people. To leave imprints that carry on long after we’re gone. Maybe our time, no matter how […]

After Life Connections, Bereavement, Death of a Parent

What Does The Research Tell Us About Grief?

Thursday, March 19, 2026

Grief is part of the human experience; however, the grief of daughters whose mothers have died is significantly different than other losses. Research is needed that does not quantify or reduce the suffering women experience to only numerical findings, but includes tools for grief empowerment. According to the National Alliance on Caregiving, over 53 million baby boomers are now caring for their ailing parents, and 61 percent of caregivers are women caring for a female relative, most likely their mothers. Because caregiving is considered a “woman’s job” (i.e., unpaid), women often suffer emotionally and financially from what is referred to […]

Open to Hope

Grief And The Trouble With Universal Stages Of Grief

Thursday, February 19, 2026

Death is the eternal mystery, a mystery that fills our souls with both awe and terror. The consequences of the death of one’s mother is not like any other ordeal in life. Daughters are often faced with resurrecting a new life without a road map, catapulted upon the ruins that remain while enduring indescribable emotional pain. Based on my experience of my mother’s death, and the shared narratives with other daughters I have spoken with, this journey is both courageous and terrifying. Grief is often a taboo topic, and many women (and men) in mourning are not only distraught but […]