Kelly Buckley

Kelly Buckley is an author and speaker who, through the power of words, has connected with thousands of people worldwide. Her mission? To have a conversation about life, gratitude, compassion and resilience, in the hopes of helping others navigate through both the hills and valleys of their own lives. Kelly has published two books, Gratitude in Grief, and Just One Little Thing. She also launched a global Facebook community for Just One Little Thing. With over 10,000 members and growing, the premise is simple; take a moment each day to focus on one little thing you are thankful for, repeat, and a thankful life will start to grow. The group focuses on gratitude, compassion and resilience, and improving our world, just one little thing at a time. Kelly lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with her husband Brady, her son Brendan, and Rudy, their Wonder Dog.

Articles:

Sitting in the Dark with Maya Angelou

Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud. ~Maya Angelou~ I’ve always had the feeling that life loves the liver of it. You must live and life will be good to you, give you experiences. They may not all be that pleasant, but nobody promised you a rose garden. But more than likely if you do dare, what you get are the marvelous returns. ~Maya Angelou~ I’ve been sitting quietly this morning, listening to the live-stream of Maya Angelou’s memorial service. To hear the words of so many, celebrating the life of a person who harnessed the circumstances of her […]

On Valentine’s Day, Choose to Believe in Love

Love is a symbol of eternity. It wipes out all sense of time, destroying all memory of a beginning and all fear of an end. ~Author Unknown I was reading recently about a woman who, married to her husband for 59 years, wondered how she would ever go on and celebrate days like Valentine’s in the same way as she did in her youth. Reading her story reminded me of my father after my mother died. It also reminded me of my own thoughts about the needed cancellation of every celebratory day on the calendar following the loss of Stephen. […]

Remember Elizabeth Edwards’ Words: ‘Put Together Something Good’

“Resilience is accepting your new reality, even if it’s less good than the one you had before. You can fight it, you can do nothing but scream about what you’ve lost, or you can accept that and try to put together something that’s good.” ~Elizabeth Edwards A person who is dear to my heart sent this quote along to me and I had to share it. Although I was never fortunate enough to meet Elizabeth Edwards in person, I have thought of her often on my grief journey. I read some of her words about the loss of her own […]

Respecting Boundaries When Comforting a Grieving Heart

When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving much advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a gentle and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares. – Henri […]

Ten Ways to Comfort the Grieving Heart

Sometimes I wish I were a little kid again, skinned knees are easier to fix than broken hearts. ~Author Unknown I’ve been thinking about all of the different ways I have been comforted over the past eight months since my son, Stephen, died. I have been blessed, and surrounded by so many people who envelope me with love and protect my healing heart. Every day, I am reminded that I am not alone. And, with each reminder, I feel Stephen’s love. It is as if his essence was dispersed across the globe, and different people give me a little piece […]

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.