Healing

How it all began It’s January 2026, and just like everyone else, Hearts of Hope is welcoming in a new year.  Typically, that means we’re looking forward: embracing new ideas, new challenges, and new energy for the road ahead. But this January looks a little different. This new year, we’re taking a moment to look…

At the Heart of It Sometimes sharing about our grief with others can end up feeling like a competition—who has had the “worst” experience, or who will “win” by giving the “right” answers about how to grieve? This is common and can happen in a variety of ways, and it’s often unintentional. The way to…

How community service leads to personal healingHearts of Hope provides hope and healing to everyone involved, whether you’re receiving a heart from our organization or creating one for someone else.At the Heart of It• Our events provide healing for participants through therapeutic art and result in ceramic hearts that carry a message of hope.• The…

At the Heart of It • Grief can feel like a bottomless pit that's impossible to escape. • While there is no "getting over it," we can gradually climb out of that pit and find joy again. • We do that by making small, intentional choices that lead us to empowerment and, eventually, healing. If…

This post explores the connection between fear and grief and how having a merciful perspective creates an opportunity for healing.At the Heart of It• Fear is a normal part of grief, but it also can lead to feelings of anger and encourage shutting off from other emotions and one another.• Mercy is an antidote toward…

Whose grief is worse: the doctor who loses her patient, or the family who loses their beloved dog?  Which situation is harder: a long, debilitating illness, or a sudden accident?  What community suffers more: the neighborhood devastated by a hurricane, or the town shocked by a mass shooting?  I hear comparisons like these all the…

“You were so lucky to have her for so long.”  Martha was 75 years old when her mother, Rose, died. Rose had just turned 101. Martha’s friends comforted her by saying how lucky Rose was to live so long, and how lucky Martha was to have that time with her. But Martha did not feel…

In the early days of my working life, one of my colleagues returned from bereavement leave. Her husband had just passed away, and it was her first day back at work. I froze when I saw her walking down the hallway. I wanted her to know I was there for her, but I was so…

When we think of who is working on the front lines of grief and loss, we picture hospice nurses, firefighters, and counselors. We imagine doctors and first responders. But do you think of teachers? In the early days of my career, I never would have put grief work and teachers together. Now, teachers are some…

Loss doesn’t only take away a person you love. It also takes away a part of yourself. When you first experience a loss, you might feel lost and afloat. It’s hard to remember who you are when you are trying to make sense of who you are not anymore—a caretaker, a daughter, a father, a…