The left side of the bed where my husband used to sleep remained neatly made, hardly a ripple disturbing the quilted surface. I slept on the right side each night, where I had been for …

December 31st has come and gone ten times since my husband Bob was murdered. While ringing in the New Year with friends, Bob left our dinner table to check on the home of a vacationing …

Sometimes loss is so devastating it sends you into a seemingly never-ending downward spiral. Do you often find yourself descending into darkness rather than looking for the positive ray of sunshine present in every situation?
Try …

By Allison Daily –
Does grief end?
It’s a question that varies for each person and depends in part on the person’s relationship to the one who has died. The death of a child is different than that of a parent …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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. …

Open to Hope contributing writer Michele Neff Hernandez is hoping to create a record for the most widows in one location. She’s organizing the National Conference on Widowhood, which runs July 17-19 in San Diego.
She …

By Sandra Pesmen –
If you want to celebrate any holiday, especially Father’s Day, you have to learn to deal with anger and guilt?.?
Whether we widows admit it or not, when our spouse dies, most of …

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 …

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 …

By Carol O’Dell –
For many of us,?caregiving for a spouse is in our future. We like to not think about it, or at least imagine that it’s a long, long time from now. For many, …

By Michele Neff Hernandez –
Motherhood brings out the lioness in me. No task is too small or sacrifice too great to ensure the well being of my three children. In my mind’s eye, I can …

By Abel Keogh –
Dating again after the death of a spouse can be an awkward experience. It can bring out feelings of guilt and betrayal for the person dating again. It can also bring out …

Julie asks: I recently began dating a widower who told me his wife died a year ago. I’ve just learned she actually died 4 months ago. I like this man very much and we enjoy …