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Valentine’s Day Rituals to Awaken Memories

Posted on February 7, 2025 - by Nan Zastrow

Valentine’s Day Rituals to Awaken Memories Ponder the Vows you made to each other. Every “love” adventure steps into the great unknown . Your vows challenge you to work through life together. Celebrate the adversity you overcame as you weathered the storms of life. Be grateful for the milestones you accomplished together. As a Valentine’s Day ritual, acknowledge your journey—the trials and the triumphs! Make a List of your Happiest Times Together. Review it every time sadness overwhelms you and threatens you into despair. Use the list to ignite the flame of love and connection. It’s a promise that heals […]

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Valentine’s Day Memories

Posted on February 7, 2025 - by Nan Zastrow

Valentine’s Day Memories “Random memories tell the stories of our lives…the difficult and joyous times that reveal who we are now, how far we’ve traveled, and who we’ve become because of our experiences.” Valentine’s Day dawned, and I awoke keenly aware that my first year without my husband was predestined to be an emotional one. It occurred just one month after his unexpected death.   I wouldn’t be creating any new memories. Gary’s absence filled the house, and the relenting ache of early grief was overwhelming.  I craved having just one more time. One more memory. Hearing his laughter and feeling […]

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Entering a New Relationship after Death of a Life Partner

Posted on January 30, 2025 - by Vicki Panagotacos, PhD FT

Entering a New Relationship One of the most charming questions I ever received in one of my second-year spousal-loss classes came from a middle-aged man named Sam. He said, “If I were to invite a woman over to dinner, how many framed pictures of my deceased wife would be too many?” His question was a good one. Sam, like most people who have lost a mate, had increased the number of framed photos around his house so he could feel his late wife’s presence. I answered his question with one of my own: “If you went into a widow’s home, […]

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Navigating Grief After Substance-Related Deaths

Posted on January 29, 2025 - by Gloria Horsley

The rising crisis of substance-related deaths in America has left countless families grappling with complex grief and overwhelming emotions. Through the experiences of Leslie Lagos, director of the Sun Will Rise Foundation, we gain valuable insights into the journey of healing and hope after losing a loved one to substance-related causes. A Personal Journey of Loss and Recovery Leslie Lagos brings a unique perspective to grief support, having experienced both personal recovery from substance abuse and the loss of her brother, Timmy, to an overdose in 2013. Her brother’s death on Thanksgiving marked a turning point that would lead her […]

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Winter Grief Activities and Projects

Posted on January 28, 2025 - by John Pete

The long winter months can be especially confining, isolating and challenging when grieving a loss. But you can also engage in unique ways that will help you bear your loss. Here are some winter grief activities and projects (or for any time of year): start an indoor gardens/terrariums/terrarium memorial garden take up a new hobby/craft, learn new skills/enhance existing ones enroll in an online class (many are self-paced) write your autobiography or a biography about your loved one start a Blog (many free options with public/private settings) volunteer at church, care-facilities and non-profits plan and gather materials for spring projects give […]

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The Helplessness of Grief

Posted on January 28, 2025 - by Greg Adams

The Helplessness of Grief Maybe your family is like mine. When a crisis strikes, you go into action to make things better. First, you want a better understanding of your situation, so you’re off to search the internet. After a good deal of searching, you go through your mental rolodex (remember those) to ask for additional information and suggestions. After making your contacts, you’re on your way to developing your “to-do” list of how to get a handle on the situation, or better yet, how to whip it into shape. A good crisis knocks us off balance and perhaps even […]

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Learning from Grief

Posted on January 28, 2025 - by Harriet Hodgson

Learning from Grief In the early stages of grief, sadness was all I could think about. I viewed my life—indeed the world—from the lens of sadness. Each day, I felt like I was drowning in sadness and there was nothing to be happy about. Unfortunately, when I did this, I made my life darker and turned it into a future without hope. What might happen if I changed my thinking? I had read about the human mind and how miraculous it is, how we may be the only living species capable of consciously changing our thinking. Dr. Heidi Horsley and […]

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Somatic Breathwork Transformed My Grief

Posted on January 28, 2025 - by Stephen Stott

How Somatic Breathwork Transformed My Grief Grief has a way of seeping into every part of our lives, even when we think we’ve moved on. For years after my sister’s death, I lived in the fog of grief. Mentally, I was coping as best I could, but because I was active in sports, my body found a way to release some of the tension after every practice. Still, even two decades later, I realized that grief was still lurking in my body, even though I believed I was in a good place—or so I thought. I remember attending my first […]

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Steps to Heal from Miscarriage and Baby Loss

Posted on January 28, 2025 - by Gloria Horsley

The taboo surrounding miscarriage and baby loss continues to affect countless individuals, yet many suffer in silence. Dr. Aura Rose, author of “Sacred Sadness: Insights into the Spiritual and Energetic Layers of Miscarriage,” brings a fresh perspective to this sensitive topic through her research and personal experience with pregnancy loss. Understanding the Impact of Pregnancy Loss Dr. Rose’s journey into exploring pregnancy loss began after witnessing two women discussing their miscarriages in a coffee shop restroom. This encounter sparked her mission to create a space where women could openly share their experiences and find healing. The author’s research reveals that […]

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A Journey Through Suicide Recovery

Posted on January 28, 2025 - by Gloria Horsley

The sudden loss of a loved one to suicide creates ripples that affect families in profound ways. In a moving conversation on the Open to Hope podcast, Vanessa Francis shares her journey of healing and transformation following the unexpected loss of her husband Rick to suicide in March 2016. An Unexpected Turn Vanessa and Rick’s love story began through a matchmaker in 1994, leading to nearly 20 years of marriage and the adoption of their daughter. Rick, described by colleagues as “jovial” with a quick wit, showed no obvious signs of depression. The morning of his death began like any […]

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