Funeral homes in Willoughby Hills, OH, are there when you’re loved one dies. Losing someone close to your heart is perhaps the most intensely emotional experience one can face. As members of the community, it’s our moral and ethical responsibility to comfort people dealing with such an irreparable loss. Often, we find ourselves short of words to share their loss and show empathy with them.
Even if you’re intending to make them feel better, your selection of words may not come easy. We have put together this guideline to help our readers learn what to say to a grieving friend or a family member to comfort make them and make them feel strong.
Avoid Uttering Cliches
Many of us can’t understand the feelings of sorrow and grief people go through after they’ve lost a loved one. Our insensitive remarks could inadvertently add to their pain and misery. So, avoid using sentences, like:
- “How are you feeling?” You already know how they feel- they’re devastated.
- “It was his/her time.” Any statement insinuating that your friend’s loss was planned or had to occur just complicates their feelings.
- “They’re in a better place right now.” Regardless of what you believe in or what your faith says, such a statement should be avoided as everyone wants their loved one to be with them and everyone has their own beliefs about life after death.
Offer Strength and Hope
One of the main purposes of attending a funeral or cremation service is to show your empathy and support for the bereaved. Instead of making them feel bad for their loss, say something that’s going to give them courage and strength to get through that difficult time. Give them a renewed sense of life; a glitter of hope to get past the grief and sorrow.
Anything similar to “Grieve for as long as you need to be, and cry if you want, I am always here for you, and I know you’re a strong person and going to get through this.”
It shows you acknowledge their pain and suffering and also gives them confidence and hope to get past this phase of life with time.
Similarly, use statements that cheer them up, lighten their mood, and help them celebrate the life of the deceased. You can say, “Should I tell you my favorite memory with the departed soul?” and narrate a happy or funny moment that you were part of.
Bring Sympathetic Meals
During a funeral, the bereaved are too busy arranging various services along with coping with the loss to satiate their appetite. Also, it is difficult for the bereaved to specify or ask for food even if they’re hungry.
Bring with you frozen food that they can cook quickly or provide assistance in cooking or shopping. If you don’t know what type of food they like, just ask, “I am running to the grocery store down the street, what should I bring for you.” That is, create opportunities to make them say what they want to eat. People who are preoccupied with funeral homes in Willoughby Hills, OH, may not have time to plan meals.