Writing a New Story After Loss: 4 Lessons From Teresa's Story
Teresa Baker Opland spent decades living a life built on predictability, service, and structure—both she and her husband were career military, and she took comfort in having a plan and sticking to it. But everything changed the day she received the call that her husband wouldn’t be coming home. Left to raise three very young sons, she found herself plunged into grief, heartbreak, and the unknown.
Over time—and with deep inner work—Teresa’s path took an unexpected turn. A single session with a medium cracked open the possibility that her husband’s presence hadn’t disappeared entirely. What followed was a profound spiritual awakening, a reconnection with her intuition, and eventually, a new calling: to serve others as a medium herself.
Her story reminds us that even in the darkest moments, we can uncover gold—gifts we never imagined—if we’re willing to look for them.
What We Can Learn from Teresa’s Journey
Here are four life lessons drawn from Teresa’s story that might just speak to you, wherever you are on your own journey:
1. You don’t have to stay in your old story.
For a long time, Teresa told the story of being a Gold Star widow. It was part of her identity. It was heavy. And while that story was true and necessary at the time, she eventually realised it didn’t have to define her forever.
“I got tired of telling the grief story. It was important… but I didn’t want to live from that place anymore.”
We all carry stories—of loss, disappointment, failure, identity—that once helped us survive. But part of growth is recognising when a story has finished serving us and beginning to write a new one.
💡 Try this: Reflect on the main story you tell about yourself. Is it still true? Is it still helpful? If not, what version of your story would you love to grow into?
2. Curiosity can be the gateway to healing.
Teresa didn’t go looking for a spiritual awakening. She went looking for hope. Her skepticism was healthy—and her curiosity cracked the door open just enough to let something new in.
“If you’re curious, there’s probably a reason. Maybe you came here to do this work too.”
You don’t need to have all the answers to follow a hunch. Sometimes healing starts when you simply say yes to your own curiosity.
💡 Try this: Is there something you’re curious about—an idea, a healing practice, a new way of thinking—that keeps nudging at you? Let yourself explore, even if you don’t understand why yet.
3. Grief is not the end. It’s an opening.
It sounds cliché. It even sounds insensitive in the wrong context. But Teresa is living proof: when you allow yourself to truly feel the depth of grief—not bypass it, not suppress it—what comes next can be sacred.
She didn’t sidestep her pain. She walked through it, breath by breath. And eventually, she discovered not only healing but a life filled with new purpose, deeper connection, and even joy.
“There’s gold in it. I wouldn’t have said that then… but now, I can see the growth, the purpose.”
💡 Try this: If you’re in a painful chapter, know that you’re not meant to stay there. Healing takes time, and it may not look how you imagined—but the next version of you is already waiting.
4. You are never alone.
In one of the most powerful moments of the interview, Teresa shared a quote from A Course in Miracles that now guides her life: “If you only knew who walked beside you at all times, on the path that you have chosen, you could never experience fear or doubt again.”
Even when she was physically alone, even in her most isolating moments, she came to understand she was supported—by spirit, by intuition, by something unseen but deeply felt.
💡 Try this: Take a few moments each day to pause, breathe, and ask, What support might be around me right now that I can’t yet see? You might be surprised by what shows up when you ask.
What’s Your Next Chapter?
Whether or not you believe in mediumship, Teresa’s story offers something universal: hope. You are allowed to rebuild after loss. You are allowed to get curious. You are allowed to write a new story. And most of all, you are not alone.
If you would like to explore your next chapter, take a look at our free self-guided 7 day discovery course as you design what you most want in the next chapter of your life.
Leave a Comment
I hope you enjoyed this post. If you would like to, please leave a comment below.