Thoughtful Ideas For Someone Experiencing Bereavement & Loss

Talking about death and bereavement is difficult at best, and showing a friend or colleague that you care when they lose a loved one presents a double difficulty: you want to reach out in their time of need with a sincere message, but don’t want to bother or further upset them.

Here are our tips for how to write a note that will do just that.

1. Write your note or send a gift as soon as you hear about the bereavement.
2. Write how you are feeling for them but keep it short and simple – they will likely receive a lot of messages.
3. Your message should reflect how well you know the bereaved person and the person who has died.

For example, for work colleagues and when you do not know the deceased, simple and short works best:

Dear Jack,
I was so sad to hear that you have lost your dear wife Pam. My thoughts are with you at this terrible time.
My condolences,
John

Dear Kate,
Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with you and your family.
From everyone at Smiths Printing.

If you knew the deceased quite well it is fine to say that you will miss them too and remember some good things about them, such as:

Dear Aunt Helen,
We are so sorry to hear that we have lost Uncle Kevin.  He was such a kind and funny bloke who made the family Christmas so much better with his jokes and hilarious games. We will all miss him terribly and our thoughts and prayers are with you.
Love from
Kim and Ruby Brown

Although sending flowers is customary, bereavement gifts can be customised and convey real thoughtfulness. Our Thinking of You gift box was put together to be the perfect mix of pick-me-up treats and relaxing rituals for hard times, or choose something specific to your friend: maybe Peppermint Tea and Choccy Treats or our popular Foodie Hamper, or Central Otago Pinot and Nibbles for a friend who enjoys a good red. Rather than having to throw out wilted flowers, your bereaved friend gets treated with what you genuinely know gives them comfort.

Here at FOXY BOXY we make it as easy as possible to show your bereaved colleague or friend that you care. We hand write your message to go along with your gift, and we can even make up customised boxes if you have something specific in mind.

We hope we have helped you craft a caring bereavement message. It’s hard to talk about death and bereavement, but it doesn’t have to be hard to show you care.