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Art and Writing as Healing Tools

Posted on January 6, 2025 - by Heidi Horsley

When Britney DeSantis lost her father at age 13, she found solace in an unexpected gift – a journal. Two decades later, this simple act of putting pen to paper has evolved into a powerful healing journey that has touched thousands of lives. Through her business, Peak Paper Company, DeSantis has taught calligraphy, watercolor, and journaling to over 50,000 people worldwide. In a recent Open to Hope Conversations podcast interview with Dr. Heidi Horsley, DeSantis shared insights from her personal grief journey and discussed her award-winning guided grief journal, “Forget You Not.” The journal, which hit Amazon’s #1 most gifted […]

Ten New Year’s Eves: A Widow Remembers

Posted on December 30, 2024 - by Katy Hutchison

Ten New Year’s Eves 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 neighbor. It had become apparent no responsible adult was overseeing a party the neighbor’s teenaged son was throwing. Bob walked in on two hundred drunk and out of control youth. Within minutes he was dead, beaten to death by two young men angered by his efforts to shut things down. I was left a widow with four-year-old twins. The first year […]

Five Ways to Get Through the Holidays (When You’re Not Feeling Ho Ho Hopeful)

Posted on December 22, 2024 - by Heidi Gessner

Five Ways to Get Through the Holidays Holidays can be difficult when someone you love has died. Or you’ve lost your job. Or an important relationship has ended. It can be hard to watch others being joyful and merry while your life feels joyless. You may need to be more intentional about your plans this year. Here are 5 innovative ways you can get through (and maybe even enjoy them). Light a candle. Engage in a meaningful ritual. Set aside some intentional quiet time to think of your loved one (and your life). Perhaps write a letter letting him or […]

Tips for Bedside Visitors

Posted on December 19, 2024 - by Bernie Siegel

Tips for Bedside Visitors We know that you don’t need anyone to coach you or instruct you in lovingly reaching out and touching your loved one: holding her hand, putting a (warm or cool) wash cloth on his forehead or giving her a hug. My offering here is to help extend and enhance what you so naturally know how to do in helping your loved one heal. Our excitement about the healing potential of bedside visits came from someone I know who did “bedside ballet” with his mother-in-law shortly after she suffered a stroke. Family members credited this activity with […]

Five Tips After the Death of a Child

Posted on December 18, 2024 - by Fran Gerstein

Five Tips After the Death of a Child From the moment you get the news that your child has died, you are thrust into a surreal world. People are calling—including doctors, nurses, detectives, police, coroners, and funeral directors. You are disoriented, yet there are decisions that require your attention and macabre tasks you must attend to. Most of us rise to the occasion and react later. When you look back, you will undoubtedly wonder, “How did I get through that?” You will also be emotionally and physically confused for a long time. Take care of your mind and body and […]

Making the Most of Your Bedside Visits: Tips for Patients

Posted on December 18, 2024 - by Bernie Siegel

Making the Most of Bedside Visits Whether you are convalescing at home or are in a hospital or other facility right now, there are some simple things you can do with a loved one or companion – that will feel good and also help you to heal. In the hospital setting, you may be in the care of a physical therapist. Such a specialist can help you work wonders on the way towards recovery. But the demands on their time are such that your needs for physical exercise cannot be met by them alone. Time is of the essence here; […]

Finding my Safe Spot: Going out While Grieving

Posted on December 16, 2024 - by Perry Grosser

Finding my Safe Spot I arrived at my annual software conference around 8am, the time the doors were scheduled to be open. I went into the amphitheater and immediately saw that the back-row corner seat was taken – damn. That is my safe seat. I own the back corner seat no matter where I go. So I did the unthinkable – I moved the bag over to the second chair and I settled into the end chair of the fifth row. That is my safe spot, my safe place at these conferences and meetings. I have come to learn that […]

Understanding Pregnancy Loss: One Mother’s Journey of Love and Grief

Posted on December 15, 2024 - by Gloria Horsley

The profound impact of pregnancy loss often goes unspoken in society, yet it affects countless families each year. Through the story of Lindsey Henke, a licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist, we gain insight into the complex journey of loss, grief, and healing that follows the death of a baby. A Life-Changing Moment In 2012, Lindsey Henke experienced what no expectant parent should ever face. After a seemingly normal 40-week pregnancy with her daughter Nora, she noticed reduced fetal movement the night before her scheduled delivery. Upon arrival at the hospital, Lindsey and her husband received devastating news: their baby […]

Black is the Color of Death

Posted on December 12, 2024 - by Perry Grosser

Black is the Color of Death I am sure you have seen them, and maybe even wear one or two – those different color silicone awareness bracelets – and they all have their own meaning. Camouflage to support the troops. Orange for Multiple Sclerosis, Lupus and Melanoma. Silver for Dyslexia. And on and on. Black, the color I focus on, is for mourning, POW/MIA, and for some reason Restless Leg Syndrome and Colitis. Matt and I were talking about the black bracelet and what it means to us, the bereaved parents of military personnel, and why black. We both agreed […]

Practical Strategies for Holiday Survival

Posted on December 11, 2024 - by Gloria Horsley

The holiday season can be particularly challenging for those who have lost loved ones. In a heartfelt discussion on the Open to Hope Conversations podcast, Dr. Gloria Horsley and her daughters, Dr. Heidi Horsley and Rebecca Barra, shared their personal experiences and professional insights about managing grief during the holidays. Understanding Holiday Grief The first holiday season after losing a family member often proves to be the most difficult. Rebecca Barra, who lost her father four years ago, initially resisted setting up holiday decorations or participating in festivities. Despite having four children, she struggled with acknowledging the holidays without her […]