What Do You Say to Someone Who’s Grieving?
My lifelong BFF Sarah’s dad died last week. 💔
I was the first person she called. As I listened to her break down, I just wished I was there to hold her and to hold space for her grief.
It’s hard to know what to say when someone passes.
Sometimes, people get so scared of saying the “wrong” thing to a grieving loved one that they just end up not saying anything – but that silence can be just as painful (or maybe even more so).
We need our people more than ever when we’re grieving!! And that means we have to find a way to talk and support one another, even when we’re scared.
So, here is what I wrote in the card I gave to Sarah at her father’s celebration of life yesterday.
I’m not saying I have all the answers (far from it 😅), but my hope in sharing this message is that it helps spark some ideas of what to say if you find yourself in a place where you don’t even know where to start.
Some ideas of what to say to a grieving loved one:
“I am so sorry that I even have to write a card about this incredible loss.”
“I am with you. I will be with you as you miss and grieve your dad every day of your life.”
“I promise to help pick you up when needed and melt into the ground with you.”
“I love you.”
“We will keep surviving together. It won’t be the same. You won’t be the same, and that’s ok.”
What would you want to be told on the day of a loved one’s funeral?
Has someone said something to you in times of deep grief that made all the difference?
I asked my Instagram followers these questions. Here are some of their answers…
