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September 5

 

Topic: Returning to Work after a Loss

Guest: Rachel Kodanaz

 

September 12

Topic: Teen's and Grief

Guest: Laraine Gordon, LCSW

 

September 19

Topic: Men and Grief: Dating and Re-marriage

Guest: Steve Harris

 

September 26

Topic: Getting it Together After Loss

Guest: Abel Keogh

 

 

Book Review 
 
Adult Sibling Loss: Stories, Reflections and Ripples
-Dr. Brenda Marshall

  

"He was my best friend." "I feel like I've lost that one person I could always count on." Siblings know each other in ways friends and other blood relatives do not. They have shared bedrooms, bathrooms, holidays, family milestones, meals, and a way of growing up that those outside the family can never fully understand. The bond is intense, complicated, sometimes difficult, often wonderful and absolutely irreplaceable. When death interrupts what might have been a lovely, lifelong connection, the impact is tremendous. And yet, this loss is rarely the focus of research and is not well understood or recognized within society, leaving many siblings searching for appropriate support and validation.

This book gives readers the opportunity to experience the intensity of this relationship through the eyes of three bereaved siblings. Their experiences, both before and after loss, are powerfully presented using a narrative style that allows the complexity and depth of their individual relationships to shine brightly. The author, a bereaved sibling herself, artfully weaves her story throughout, adding to the richness of the text. Through these collective stories, readers are invited to explore their own reactions and reflect on the many ways siblings affect each other over the long term. Bereaved siblings, clinicians, medical professionals, therapists, social workers, funeral directors, religious leaders, bereavement groups, and anyone who supports or knows a bereaved sibling will find benefit in this book. This highly readable text will both touch and inform readers.

  

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Open to Hope Monthly Newsletter 
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September


Watch "Grief Relief Television," with Dr. Gloria and Dr. Heidi. The show airs in New York City on Sunday nights, Cable Channel 56. You can also find the archived shows on our You Tube Channel and our site. We are continuing to record new tv shows each month and of course we have our weekly radio show to offer comfort in times of need.

If you seek support, visit our site anytime, tune in to television or radio and join the conversation in our forums. 
me
Peace and Blessings
Heather Horsley Johnson

 


Grief Relief Television

 

 

 
Autumn Arrives, Good Things Will Follow
By Deb Kosmer 
 
Outside, the temperatures are changing and we pull out fall clothing.  Soon we will need even more warmth, and our winter wardrobe will swing back into use. For some of us, it may seem no matter how many layers we put on, we are still cold.  The chill we feel in our bones goes beyond warm clothing. What we really long for -- an arm around our shoulders, a hug, a hand to hold, someone to snuggle with on a cool crisp day -- seems to be as absent as the sunshine we once enjoyed. We sigh again.
 
We may feel like giving up and just going back to bed and staying there till spring!  If bears hibernate for the winter, why can't we? Especially this year when we are left to feel so useless and alone.  Though it may be hard to motivate ourselves, it is important to find some things we can do, to help us through the chill of autumn heightened by the absence of someone we loved.  
 
The following are some suggestions.  Begin with one or two that appeal to you the most. It may help to remember we often have to act first before a good feeling can occur. If we wait for the good feeling before we act we may be waiting an unnecessarily long time.  When we act as if we want to do something or are enjoying something our feelings frequently catch up. 
  1. Make caramel apples and share them with the kids or adults in your neighborhood. 
  2. While raking your leaves, make a house with rooms like you used to do as a child. Let yourself dream a little bit. 
  3. Buy yourself a new sweater in your loved one's favorite color.  
  4. Pull out a favorite piece of your loved one's fall clothing and wrap yourself in it.  
  5. Make up a batch of caramel corn to share. 
  6. Invite a few friends over for an evening of pot luck and board games. 
  7. Pull out a favorite book and give yourself the gift of rereading it. 
  8. Rent some old videos you haven't seen in years and have a video and popcorn night with a few friends. 
  9. Pick out pieces of your own and your loved ones clothing that can he used together to make a quilt.  
  10. Go on a penny walk.  At every corner, flip the penny. Heads you go left and tails you go right. Decide on a amount of time first and see where the penny takes you.
Make this list your own by adding some of your own ideas!