Loss of a Family Member

After Loss of a parent

Stories of others who have lost parents will inspire and support you. Read, listen and watch. Hope is the bridge between loss and recovery.

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Articles

  • A Southern Baptist Family’s First Cremation

    Posted on August 31, 2019 - by Tracey Wallace

    By 2040, they say more than 80% of Americans will be cremated. Also, more than 53% of us choose that over burial. And while for some this may seem normal […]

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  • 21-Year-Old Wonders How to Deal With Pain of Mother-Loss

    Posted on January 22, 2019 - by Carol O'Dell

    Sally from California asks: I lost my mother two months back. I’m 21, the elder child and suddenly feel that my world has been turned upside down. I’m studying away […]

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  • From the Ashes of my Father’s Death

    Posted on January 9, 2019 - by Emily Kil

    (Contributing writer Emily Kil co-wrote this article with her husband based on his childhood experience.) A 9-year old boy should be playing with friends, going to school, and making lifetime […]

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  • Dear Dad Letters: Father Figures

    Posted on November 10, 2018 - by Gary Jaworski

    Dear Dad, It is hard living without a father to show the ways of becoming a man.  Mom eventually dated some men, but they either frightened or bored me.  One, a swarthy […]

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  • Dear Dad Letters: Catastrophism

    Posted on November 9, 2018 - by Gary Jaworski

    Dear Dad, Here is a neologism.  “Catastrophism, noun.  The unfounded fear that one’s life is about to meet a sudden and catastrophic end.”  I have lived all my life with this […]

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  • Dear Dad Letters: #5 and #6

    Posted on November 8, 2018 - by Gary Jaworski

    Introduction Dear Dad is the story of my life told in the form of letters to my father, Walter Michael Jaworski, who died of a heart attack when I was five […]

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  • Look Who is Coming to Holiday Dinner! What to Do When a Parent Remarries

    Posted on October 22, 2018 - by Mary Joye

    When holidays come, grief can go haywire. Most everyone knows that. But what do you do if you are grieving a parent and your remaining father or mother is dating […]

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  • Saying Goodbye to Dad

    Posted on September 30, 2018 - by Thomas Attig

    I remember my last visit before Dad died in 1969. Mom called me at graduate school to tell me that he was quite ill (he’d suffered a stroke four years […]

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  • Continuing Bonds After The Loss Of A Parent: Interview with Brittany Trauthwein

    Posted on September 8, 2018 - by Heidi Horsley

    At the annual ADEC (Association of Death Education and Counseling), I spoke with Brittany Trauthwein about continuing bonds after loss. Brittany is a doctorate student at the Chicago Professional School […]

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  • Dear Dad: Letters to a Man I Never Knew

    Posted on August 26, 2018 - by Gary Jaworski

    Introduction Dear Dad is the story of my life told in the form of letters to my father, Walter Michael Jaworski, who died of a heart attack when I was five […]

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  • Dear Dad: A Letter to the Long Deceased

    Posted on August 24, 2018 - by Gary Jaworski

    Introduction Dear Dad is the story of my life told in the form of letters to my father, Walter Michael Jaworski, who died of a heart attack when I was five […]

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  • On Your First Father’s Day Without Dad

    Posted on June 7, 2018 - by Beth Marshall

    This year might be your first Father’s Day since losing your Dad, a beloved child or another important person in your life. Or maybe it’s been a while. Either way, […]

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  • Missing All of Mom on Mother’s Day

    Posted on May 15, 2018 - by Mary Jane Cronin

    My friend and I were recently having breakfast and talk turned to the upcoming Mother’s Day.  Both of us have lost our mothers recently and a look of sadness and […]

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  • Feelin’ Groovy: Connecting with Mom’s Legacy on Mother’s Day

    Posted on May 11, 2018 - by Beth Marshall

    Ever had a song, a fragrance or box of cereal stir you to tears? It’s been 19 years since my mom’s sudden graduation to heaven. So, how could Mother’s Day […]

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  • Where Do I Belong Now? After Both Parents Die

    Posted on March 1, 2018 - by Nina Impala

    Dad died suddenly in my early fifties. At the funeral, I will never forget the feeling of being 6 years old in a 50-something-year-old body. Mom died just a few […]

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  • Death and Dying: Interview with Brian Barry MA

    Posted on September 10, 2017 - by Heidi Horsley

    At the annual ADEC (Association of Death Education and Counseling), I spoke with Brian Barry, who teaches death and dying at RIT in Rochester. Brian began to explore the field […]

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  • Webinar: Survival Tips for Mother’s Day

    Posted on May 8, 2017 - by Darcie Sims

    There are many holidays which can be particularly tough for the bereaved, and Mother’s Day is a big one. Can you celebrate Mother’s Day if your child is no longer […]

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  • Suffering a Loss Yet to Come

    Posted on April 19, 2017 - by Carla J Vagnini

    My father’s wife of 30 years passed away in November 2014. Prior to her passing, he was her caretaker in all senses of the word, even to the extent that […]

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  • The Rose Bush: A Sign From Dad

    Posted on January 25, 2017 - by Lisa Khuraibet

    As we approach February, I look out my kitchen window and see something that has caught my eye. It is a rose bush in bloom. This bush has been blooming […]

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  • opentohope articles

    Adult Children and the Loss of Elderly Parents

    Posted on October 22, 2016 - by Heidi Horsley

    Registered drama therapist and licensed counselor Deborah Antinori discusses the loss of elderly parents with Dr. Heidi Horsley. As adult children, losses can be minimized and disenfranchised. Loved ones don’t […]

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