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Articles:

Griefing for the loss of my wife

My late wife Ely passed away on March 19 after a long illness suffering from Cardiomyopathy. We have been together for almost 30 years and have never separated. Since her death, I almost went to the graveyard to visit her everyday in spite of looking at the slideshow at home all day of all the beautiful photos including the ones she was in the casket at the funeral service. I was scared to go outside since the day she passed away other than going to the graveyard. I was so used to be with her all my life seeing the […]

Yes, another Mother’s Day….

Mothers Day – 2011 There is no word in English to describe that parent who has lost a child. There is no such word in any language. I can only assume that is because it is the unthinkable. It is against nature, against all that should be. And yet it happens. It has happened to me twice. Both our son and our daughter died in their 20’s as a result of having Cystic Fibrosis. It is over thirteen years since the tragic death of our son. It will soon be eight years from that heartbreaking day when the wretched disease […]

Mother’s Day as a Bereaved Mom

For a while I wondered if winter would ever leave, though the calendar said it had. However, the gorgeous weather of this past week is proof that spring has unmistakably arrived. The sights and sounds outside my window do not lie. The neighborhood children have shed their winter coats and I hear their gleeful laughter as they play in the cul-de-sac. The robin sings a chorus from a branch on Nina’s flowering tree that is beginning to bloom as it has every May for the past seven years. Soon the air will be filled with an overwhelming fragrance so intoxicating […]

Remembering Buddy

Five years ago, I lost my 2 1/2 year old son Daniel Jr., in a drowning accident. Five years later, though the pain is not as intense, I still feel the emptiness from his absence. He never got to grow up and everytime my older daughter gets to a milestone, I know, it will be the last time we get to celebrate the event. However, my good memories of him are clearer now and sometimes images of something he did will come forward bringing a smile. Though he was only here for a short time, his little footprints have forever […]

my Sonshine taked away….

On Jan,16,2007 my Mom passed away from lung cancer(6 mths after diagnoses), Than tragically my 22 yr old Son passed away on Sept.07.2009, than 2 mnths later my 43 cousin passed(suicide), than just this past November 26,2010 my only brother passed away(apparent suicide,suspicious death).I am more than beside myself…the only thing that is keeping me alive is My 19 yr old Son, he is the sun shine of my Life and one would think that would be enough to move forward. I feel guilty about the way I have been coping and would think that I would smarten up and […]

our beautiful jo holly

one year ago tonight our 27 year old high school art teacher who graduated amgna cum laude and loved her students and her profession succumbed to the pain and agony of self-medicating bipolar disease. she had developed it after years of anxiety and found pain killers could help ease her pain but of course they also ruined her life and in a psychotic break she hung herself with a clothesline and her daddy found her the next morning on his way to work. one year should help some but i do not feel better; i feel guilty; ifeel lost; iyearn […]

2 angels lost

There were 2 angels sent from heaven to earth, just lent to us for a brief time. During that time, the angels showed others the meaning of love, caring and compassion. The first angel was called home 10 months ago and was my sister Laurie. She was an angel through and through with a heart that shone of pure gold to those that knew here. Her departure from here was sudden and unexpected. Although she was greatly missed, we understood that she needed to fly free, unencumbered and to be in heaven with those she had loved and lost. The […]

my son patrick

i lost my son patrick 7 months ago .he was 8 years old .he died in an abandon house fire . he died september 17,2010 . that was the worsed day of my life . ive been trying to deal with his death but it seems like my crying everyday never stops .

the letter

Saturday was a good day. We had company show up from out of town. I was very busy working on tax returns (I am a CPA working from home), but they were a welcome treat. Our new adopted “home town” had several celebrations going on and we took in all the festivities. We came home late and tired. There was a card in the mailbox requesting someone to come to the post office and pick up a certified letter. My husband seemed concerned, but I assured him it was probably from a tax client sending me a forgotten form. He […]

I cant console the loss of my wife

It is now 8 months since I lost my Darling wife of 36 years and I cry more than I have ever done before(she was 56 years of age when she died after fighting cancer for 2.5 yrs).For me there will never be “closure” I am so scared for her that perhaps after this life there is no better place I feel angry that this beautiful person had to die.Even though I have children and grandchildren who are precious to me and help fill some of the void, I do feel lonely and somehow like a lesser being, my darling […]

Open to Hope is an online community offering inspirational stories of loss, hope and recovery. We believe hope is the bridge between loss and recovery.