Grief is hard. It comes and it goes and sometimes we don’t know what to say. Sometimes we say the wrong things and sometimes we avoid it altogether thinking it will go away or the person will be ok in a few weeks. One of the things I always get asked is how do you respond to a grieving person. My answer is simply this if you don’t know what to say, say just that. I don’t know what to say.
Just don’t try to fix things and don’t fake it either. I hate when everyone shows up at the funeral then as weeks go by people start to dwindle out. For people that you truly care about grief does not end a few weeks after we bury our loved ones. It never ends because it will hit us when we hear a song or when we see something that reminds us of the person. Try these tactics instead….
Simply ask how they are doing. How are you I won’t judge you and I am here to listen. Don’t talk just listen.
What can I do for you? We will say oh nothing but if you know your friend just do something nice just because to bring a smile to their face. You know what they love if you know them tap into that and just do it.
Be understanding. If they say they don’t want to be bothered don’t take it personally. Sometimes people grieve in their own way. Just send a text and they will respond when they are ready.
