August 15 2022 0Comment
funeral service in Bellingham, WA

How to Offer Your Condolences

Knowing the right thing to say to the grieving family at a funeral service in Bellingham, WA. is never easy. You want to say something profound and that will leave them with a sense of peace and comfort but finding the right words can be challenging.

If you have ever felt like this, you are not alone. Most of us feel awkward and nervous and anxious we may say the wrong thing. That is why today we are going to go over some of the best practices to hep you feel more confident in offering your condolences.

What to Say at a Funeral

When you attend the funeral, you will most likely have a chance to talk with the grieving family. Understand that you are not the only one who will be wanting to offer their condolences. Because of this, you want to keep your message short and to the point so that everyone may visit with them.

If you didn’t know the deceased personally or if you were not very close, some of the things you can say could include:

  • I’m so sorry for your loss.
  • You are in my thoughts.
  • He will be missed by everyone who knew him.

If you knew the deceased, it is nice to add a little personal touch into the message. Things like:

  • Fred was such a joy at work. We will miss his smile he had on his face every day.
  • Your dad, George, was an amazing man that will be greatly missed.
  • Suzy was such a wonderful mentor to me at work. I will never forget her.

Just make sure whatever you say is from the heart. And don’t worry if you end up going with something that sounds a little cliché, as the words will still be appreciated by the family.

What to Say Outside of a Funeral

When you attend a funeral, saying something to the family is expected and you can be prepared. But what if you see a friend who has recently suffered the loss of a death outside of a funeral? Maybe you run into them at the grocery store or maybe it’s a coworker that is has returned back to work. These situations can leave us feeling much more awkward as we don’t want to bring up the death and make our friend feel bad, but we don’t want to ignore it and have them think we don’t care. So what do we do?

In these cases, most experts will advise you to let go of the conversation and let your friend or coworker director it. Then, follow their lead. If they bring the death up then let them talk about it as much as they need. If they do not bring it up, respect that and don’t bring it up either as they may simply not be ready to discuss it.

funeral service in Bellingham, WA

Final Thoughts

While it can feel awkward to know what to say at a funeral service in Bellingham, WA, if you just speak from the heart, and let go of the idea of saying something super profound or life-changing, you will do just fine., Remember, any sincerer words of sympathy will be appreciated by the family.

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