Loss of a Family Member

Articles

  • Yes, I’m Still Grieving

    Posted on November 22, 2024 - by Sarah Kravits

    Yes, I’m Still Grieving If you or someone you care about has ever suffered a painful loss, you’ve likely heard, communicated, or thought something like the following: That earnest wish […]

    Read More

  • Surviving the Holidays After the Death of a Child

    Posted on November 8, 2024 - by Alice Wisler

    Surviving the Holidays After the Death of a Child That holiday-pang hit my stomach the first October after Daniel died. Greeting me at an arts and craft shop were gold […]

    Read More

  • Getting Through Halloween after Child’s Death

    Posted on October 30, 2024 - by Cathy Seehuetter

    Getting Through Halloween after Child’s Death On the evening I type this, the nip in the October air is a reminder that the major holidays are just around the corner. […]

    Read More

  • Grieving Through the Holidays

    Posted on October 24, 2024 - by Catherine Tidd

    Grieving Through the Holidays I know I’m not the only one who is feeling the effects of the season. Grieving during “normal” times is a full-time job.  Throw in 2 or […]

    Read More

  • Young People Grieving Over Multiple Losses

    Posted on September 23, 2024 - by Linda Goldman

    Young People Grieving Over Multiple Losses  A “new normal” has invaded old paradigms and left kids missing a past world, uncertain of the present, and anxious of what tomorrow will […]

    Read More

  • Young People Grieve Through Creativity

    Posted on September 23, 2024 - by Linda Goldman

    Young People Grieve Through Creativity During the pandemic, the resilience of many girls and boys soared to new levels as they courageously rose to the occasion. The following are two […]

    Read More

  • Young People’s Grief during the Pandemic

    Posted on September 22, 2024 - by Linda Goldman

    Young People’s Grief during the Pandemic The pandemic has produced a myriad of loss issues impossible to have imagined just a few years ago. Young people cannot go to school, […]

    Read More

  • Telling Young Children of a Suicide

    Posted on August 26, 2024 - by Bob Baugher

    Telling Young Children of a Suicide Parents are often understandably concerned about how the harsh fact of a suicide in the family, particularly of a parent, will affect their children. […]

    Read More

  • Loss of a Twin has Huge Impact

    Posted on August 23, 2024 - by Linda Pountney

    Loss of a Twin has Huge Impact The unthinkable can happen. One of your twins or triplets could vanish from your life. During a period of deep grief, how would […]

    Read More

  • How Does Twin Honor the Sister Who Died?

    Posted on August 19, 2024 - by Linda Pountney

    How Does Twin Honor the Sister Who Died? Gladys writes in: I just lost my twin sister three months ago to something we now know as Long QT syndrome. She […]

    Read More

  • After Husband’s Death, my Year of ‘Solitary Firsts’

    Posted on July 31, 2024 - by Laurel D. Rund

    My Year of ‘Solitary Firsts’ As I write this article, 2-1/2 years after my husband Marty’s death, I am overwhelmed with surprise that so much time has passed. Memories of […]

    Read More

  • The First Anniversary after a Husband Dies

    Posted on July 30, 2024 - by Rachel Kodanaz

    The First Anniversary after a Husband Dies Just like nothing prepares you for the death of a loved one, there is no preparation for the first anniversary of a death. […]

    Read More

  • When One Loss Follows Another

    Posted on May 27, 2024 - by Anne Peterson

    I’m 12 years old and our family is living in a 3rd floor apartment. The phone rings on this summer day. Mom answers. I watch the color leave her face. […]

    Read More

  • When Grief Causes Mental Health Problems

    Posted on May 6, 2024 - by Ilana Estelle

    Grief support and mental health are deeply interconnected aspects of wellbeing. Grief is a natural response to loss, whether it’s the death of losing someone close, the end of a […]

    Read More

  • A Letter to Suicide Survivors

    Posted on April 25, 2024 - by Kerie Boshka

    Dear Suicide Survivors: You are not alone. I know it feels that way, but I can assure you that there is help. I know you feel that no one can […]

    Read More

  • Mother Maintains Contact with Deceased Son

    Posted on April 17, 2024 - by Sheri Perl

    Mother Loses Son to Addiction To all of my fellow parents of deceased children — mothers and fathers — I offer greetings.  I too have suffered this unthinkable loss and […]

    Read More

  • Writing through Grief

    Posted on March 25, 2024 - by Ilana Estelle

    I write about grief to help me through the ‘grieving process’ after the loss of my twin. I hope it helps you too. Grief is complex; it’s based around individual […]

    Read More

  • How I Surrendered to the Grief of Losing My Husband

    Posted on March 9, 2024 - by Jennifer Hawkins

    The Grief of Losing My Husband On February 4, 2009, I woke up to find that my husband had died in his sleep from an undetected heart condition. He was […]

    Read More

  • Grief Can Transform the Future

    Posted on March 4, 2024 - by Ilana Estelle

    Grief can throw a spanner in the works, but it can also bring acceptance and closure positively, so long as we’re honest with ourselves. Our experiences can distort our perception […]

    Read More

  • Merry Go Round and Round: Rhythms of Grief

    Posted on January 22, 2024 - by Elizabeth Brady

    Merry Go Round My mom made it a priority to take me and my siblings to the Smithsonian to visit the touring exhibits that came through the D.C. museums. I […]

    Read More

  • Don’t Shield Your Children from Grief

    Posted on November 19, 2023 - by Beth Marshall

    In our predominantly fun childhood, the one thing kids were never allowed to do was to participate in the funeral-related activities when someone passed away. Grief and sadness were simply […]

    Read More

  • Why Do I Feel Worse Now Than I Did Right After My Husband Died?

    Posted on October 9, 2023 - by Melinda Richarz Lyons

    The Shock of a Sudden Death Grief counseling was invaluable to me after I lost my husband, Sid. He was only 56 and died very suddenly. There were so many […]

    Read More

  • Guiding a Child Through Parent-Loss: A Mother’s Story

    Posted on June 5, 2023 - by Dr. Carol Leibovich Mankes

    Guiding a Child Through Parent-Loss Losing a parent is a profound and challenging experience, especially for children. The loss of her beloved father forever changed my daughter’s world when she […]

    Read More

  • Understanding Compounded Grief and Ways to Cope

    Posted on May 23, 2023 - by Jacqui Coombe

    There are so many things to enjoy about life. Hand in hand with this enjoyment is the fact that there will sometimes be tough periods in life. These periods will […]

    Read More

  • After Mom’s Death, Daughter Struggles With Dad’s Girlfriend

    Posted on May 13, 2023 - by John Pete

    Daughter Struggles with Dad’s Girlfriend Heather asks for advice: In November, it will be two years since my mother died after a prolonged illness. My father started dating a woman […]

    Read More

  • Understanding and Working through Grief

    Posted on April 17, 2023 - by Ilana Estelle

    Understanding and working through grief isn’t without its challenges. Although you may have weeks or months to prepare, knowing you’re going to lose a loved one. It isn’t something you’re […]

    Read More

  • The Many Losses of COVID: A Survey About Moving Ahead

    Posted on August 20, 2022 - by Bob Baugher

    The Many Losses of COVID As humans, loss is something we all experience. One way to make sense of this is to look at a number of different types of […]

    Read More

Open to Hope Radio

Open to Hope TV

  • Episode 227: Grief and The Preservation of Self

    Posted on September 27, 2024 - by admin

    How do we take care of ourselves when we are so busy taking care of others after a loss? Join Host Dr. Heidi Horsley and her guests Tysha Scott and […]

    Watch

  • Episode 221: Navigating Children’s Grief

    Posted on July 15, 2024 - by admin

    Are you wondering how to connect with grieving children and help them navigate their grief?  Join host Dr. Heidi Horsley and her co-host Doneley Meris, along with guests Lindsey Whissel […]

    Watch

Foundation

Get Involved

Resources

Copyright © 2024 Open to Hope