Comments on: The New Word That Changed How I Think About Grief

By: Barb Hegreberg

Barb Hegreberg — Sun, 27 Jul 2025 04:00:46 +0000

I love gaining new vocabulary. Openture gives us permission to feel the feels and process grief in our own way. It hurts my heart when I hear someone say, “Why can’t she move on? ” We should never judge someone else’s process. Only God can do that.

Stopping by from the July One Word Link-up.

By: Michele Morin

Michele Morin — Mon, 21 Jul 2025 13:57:11 +0000

“openture”
Scribbling the word in my planner too for future reference.
I have a huge 3-ish tendency to rush to closure—obviously, it’s so much more efficient! There’s so much we can learn by remaining open to possibilities.

By: Tea With Jennifer

Tea With Jennifer — Sat, 19 Jul 2025 02:08:34 +0000

Hi Lisa,
You amy find the following info interesting;
“Closure” in the history of Psychology is a newer concept, it was coined by Gestalt in the mid twentieth century who argued that the brain looks for patterns & in those patterns there must be a conclusion, ending or closure. Popular culture at the time ran with this & it has become embedded in western culture’s beliefs about grief.

However, when this is applied to Grief, as popular culture does, it doesn’t work. I agree with the following quote;
“You’ll never be completely over the loss of someone you have loved. There is no closure, nor is there a need for it.
Instead, we remember them and learn to live with the ambiguity of absence and presence. You know they’re gone, but you keep them present in your heart and mind—even as you move forward with your life.”

As a Clinical professional Grief becomes problematic when the person in grief can not move forward & it is interfering with their normal daily life, months or even years later. As this signal’s that there may be other concerns at play.
Blessings, Jennifer

By: Jean Wise

Jean Wise — Fri, 18 Jul 2025 21:45:16 +0000

There is my word again – courage! and no never heard of your new word. I have to read this book you mention for my word of the year and my work in grief too. Thanks for this great post and resource today

By: Paula

Paula — Thu, 17 Jul 2025 15:39:36 +0000

Lisa, this is beautiful! I’ve not heard of openture before but it really makes sense. I pinned your article so I can reference when I need to.
Visiting today from Joanne’s.
xo

By: Lisa Brittain

Lisa Brittain — Wed, 16 Jul 2025 17:09:07 +0000

Thank you, Lisa.
Against my will, I’m learning a lot about suffering well alongside someone who is suffering a lifetime debilitating disease. And I’m learning more about grief than I ever wanted to know.
I appreciate this post and this new word in my vocabulary because I find myself pushing hard for solutions because I don’t want to sit in the suffering.
Thank you for sharing this…

By: Ashley Rowland

Ashley Rowland — Wed, 16 Jul 2025 13:55:18 +0000

Love this, Lisa!

By: Dianna

Dianna — Wed, 16 Jul 2025 11:29:34 +0000

Lisa, I’ve not heard of the word before, but, oh, how it makes sense! I wish I’d known it when my dad passed away in 1982. Those first few years after his death were brutal for me…he was my hero. As I read down over your post, other things that are in my life currently came to mind and rather than trying to get rid of the hurt and grief that they have been causing me, I will now begin to look at them through an open door, with a desire to see what it is that God has in store in these particular circumstances. Thanks, Friend!

By: Donna

Donna — Wed, 16 Jul 2025 04:18:42 +0000

I hadn’t heard that word either. Thank you for sharing this.

By: Willow

Willow — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 15:55:47 +0000

I have not heard that word openture before. This is a good time for me to read this as our friend suddenly lost his father last week and we have talked with him a bit about how his children are processing the loss of their beloved grandfather. Hopefully, I can share this with him.