Whether a death is sudden or anticipated, losing a loved one shakes us to our very core, destroying our belief in a just, safe, and predictable world. Grief often changes us quickly both physically and mentally. It is like being kidnapped and suddenly transported to a foreign land without luggage, a passport, or the language to make sense of what's happening. Even if you have a road map for getting through the pain and anguish, you still have to take the trip.
The purpose of this book is to help you find threads of hope that will assist your recovery and help you carry on. By sharing inspirational stories, personal experiences, and professional advice from contributors to the Open to Hope website, we trust that you will be comforted and inspired by learning how others dealt with their losses, what they saw as roadblocks, and how they handled them as well as what it has taken for them to not only survive, but thrive. We want to help you resume leading the life that you were meant to live--a life of satisfaction and one driven by a belief in your own personal power for change.
About the Author:
Gloria C. Horsley, PhD, MFC, RN, and Dr. Heidi Horsley, PsyD, LMSW, MS, are internationally recognized grief experts. This mother/daughter team founded the Open to Hope Foundation and are hosts of the "Open to Hope" Internet radio show. In addition, Dr. Gloria is a board member for the Compassionate Friends, and Dr. Heidi is an adjunct Professor at Columbia University with a private practice in Manhattan. Together they have written a number of articles and several books, including Teen Grief Relief and the award-winning Real Men Do Cry, which they co-authored with Eric Hipple. Dr. Gloria also wrote The In-Law Survival Guide. Find more at www.opentohope.com.
Drs. Gloria and Heidi are deeply indebted to the authors who graciously shared their journeys through grief in this book and the many more on the Open to Hope website.
