Shannon Harris

As a young bereaved mother, I had conflicting ideas on the grieving process. Alone in a sea of much older and much more experienced bereaved parents, I turned to writing to tell my story. My hope is to offer alternative ideas to traditional forms of expressing grief and to share the love and light that I experience today. I have been writing since I was a child but have earned my living over the last 20 years in customer service, wellness, and management industries. I recently became a Certified Grief Intuitive Coach to help spread the love and share positivity with the world. My goal is to help women and especially bereaved mothers, see their value even after a loss. I reside in Northern California with my two surviving children and my little angel, ever present.

Articles:

Angry At a God I Didn’t Even Know

Angry at God Bereaved parents become experts on all things grief soon after the death of a child. We research. We read articles, talk to doctors and therapists. And we […]

How Child-Loss Changes Your Relationships

There is a great divide between the relationships I have with those in my life six years ago and those just getting to know me. The more time that passes […]

Snow Globe of Emotions at Christmas

Reflecting on where I was last Christmas brings up a snow globe of emotions. Sadness, joy, anger, frustration and even relief swirl all around me. A flurry of feelings from […]

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What Prison Inmates Taught Me about Drug Addicts

Normally when I write, I write from the standpoint of someone who has lost a child to cancer. But tonight I am compelled to write from a different perspective for […]

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Shifting: Child-Loss Splits Mom Between Heaven and Earth

For all accounts and purposes I am a strong woman. I have been through some extraordinary situations and lived to tell about them. And the telling has been my mission […]

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How to Fill an Empty Stocking

It is the day after Thanksgiving, or “black Friday” as most of us refer to it these days. I imagine myself in my best holiday shopping outfit complete with new […]

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Because My Son is in a Box

Because my son is in a box on my shelf, I no longer give a shit about how I appear to the outside world. I do not care that I […]

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Wanted: Soul Sister in Grief

I have secretly been looking for a place to post a want-ad for a partner in grief. In my small hometown, I don’t know anyone who has lost a child. […]

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Breaking the Rules of Grief

An excerpt from the Introduction of Breaking the Rules of Grief, A Bereaved Mother’s Journey. By Shannon Harris I should begin by warning you that there will be no substantial evidence […]

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God’s Plan in the Grocery Store

With my whole heart I can say that I am not afraid of anything in life now that I’ve watched my son die. Nothing can ever be harder than that […]

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.