Fillable Printable Sympathy Message Tips

Sympathy Message Tips

7 Essential

Tips for

Writing

the Best

Condolence

Letter

You are

reading this

because you

or someone

you know has

lost a loved

one and you

want to write

a meaningful sympathy

card or letter to express

your grief, but you may be

too sad to think clearly right

now.

Let me start by saying I am

sorry for your loss. Let me

also offer this step-by-step

approach to writing a great

sympathy letter that really

takes the guesswork out of

it. This guide will give you

the tools to express your

sincere condolences and

will give you the strength

to send the letter without

delay. After going through

these seven steps, you will

have peace of mind knowing

you have shared your

condolences.

At the end of this E-book,

you'll find links to sample

condolence letters you can

read and use as inspiration

for your own condolence

card. I’ve also included links

to other helpful information

online. Simply roll your

mouse over the title of what

you are interested in and

click on it. You computer

will automatically open up

the webpage.

So let’s get started on that

sympathy or condolence

letter.

“A sympathy letter

or condolence card

can be as long or

as short as it needs

to be to say what

you need to say.

Some very effective

sympathy letters

have been written

on the smallest

flower message

cards, and others

have been pages

long. ”

What is a sympathy letter?

It’s important to understand

exactly what the purpose

of a sympathy letter is

before you begin. Many

people think about sending

a sympathy card but don’t

actually do it because they

don’t know where to start or

they think that a short card

is not enough.

Words of condolence or

sympathy cards are meant

to acknowledge the passing

of someone, show that

their lives touched yours

in some way and to offer

comfort to the grieving.

That’s it. A sympathy letter

filled with sincere words of

condolences can be read

and reread at different

stages of the grieving

period. Many times these

letters offer comfort long

after the funeral service and

remind the grieving just how

loved they are. What you

say in your sympathy letter

is not as important as just

sending it.

A sympathy letter or

condolence card can be

as long or as short as it

needs to be to say what you

need to say. Some very

effective sympathy letters

have been written on the

smallest flower message

cards, and others have

been pages long. Knowing

what to write and how much

to write really depends on

your relationship with the

deceased or the deceased’s

family and it depends

on how much you need to

say to truly express your

condolences. There is no right

length or appropriate number of

words you have to write. Read

on to find out just how long your

sympathy letter should be.

Step One: Should I send

a Long Letter or a Short

Sympathy Card?

Think about your relationship

with deceased and with the

surviving family. If you were

particularly close, a longer letter

might be more appropriate.

You could relate some of your

memories of the deceased, or

describe some of the things

you and the deceased did

together. If you worked with the

person, or knew them from a

social group, or perhaps knew

them as a child, a handwritten

condolence card might be more

appropriate. A brief description

of how you knew the deceased

and where you met him or her

and that you will miss him or

her will be fine.

And finally, if your relationship

was that of an acquaintance

or a distant relative, a short

note offering your condolences

might be all that is needed. If

you were not particularly close

to the deceased but know

the family well, offering your

support or condolences to the

family in a short condolence

card is perfectly acceptable.

Email and texting have also

become a good way to express

your condolences quickly. But

it’s always good to follow up an

email or text with a formal card

or letter and a sympathy gift.

Step Two: Should I

send a Sympathy Gift or

Sympathy Flowers with

my Condolence Letter?

The answer to this is always

yes. Sending sympathy

flowers or a sympathy gift

can do more than words

to help the bereaved cope

with their loss. Sympathy

flowers or a potted plant

sent with your condolences

to the funeral or to the

home of the grieving family

will brighten the room for

days. Read these reviews

of online flower delivery

websites to get the best deal

on sympathy flowers.

A sympathy gift can be

anything such as a batch

of cookies, a flower

arrangement or potted

plant, a sampling of tea,

a personalized engraved

plaque dedicated to the

deceased or even a planted

tree in the deceased’s

honor. A sympathy gift

does not have to cost much

or be elaborate but giving

something at this sad time is

always in good taste.

The family of the deceased

always appreciates

receiving food because

they’ll be very busy making

funeral arrangements and

they will have many friends

and family dropping in to

visit. Grocery shopping,

preparing and cooking food

is the last thing they’ll want

to do, but everyone needs

Look for

examples

and help

writing your

sympathy

letter at these

links below:

Advice for Writing Sympathy Words

Why Write Words of Comfort?

How to Write a Genuine Letter?

What to Say and What Not to Say

Sympathy Words for Now and Later

Examples of Condolences for Cards

Condolence Message Sample

Condolence Letter Example

Sympathy Poems and Verses

Sympathy Sayings Examples

Compare Flower Delivery Services

to keep up their strength,

so sending some baking,

chocolates, fruit or even a

selection of meats or wine

with your condolences not

only shows your good taste,

but shows you truly care

about the family’s well-being

at this sad time.

There are so many great

ideas online and you can

send your condolence

message with the gift. Many

online gift companies allow

you to personalize your

message so you can write

your condolence letter and

they will print it in a card

and include it with your gift.

You’ll find helpful reviews of

places to order condolence

gifts and flowers online at

the end of this E-book.

If you are ordering a

sympathy gift online to send

with your condolences,

rest assured that the cards

they include are of good

quality and will carry your

condolence message with

dignity.

Step Three: How do I start

the Sympathy Letter?

Take out a scrap piece of

paper and write out your

thoughts before writing on

the card or stationary you

will use. It’s better to write

out your mistakes on scrap

than to have to send a card

with mistakes and crossed

out parts. Besides, so many

people type these days that

a little practice writing with a

pen is necessary.

If you need inspiration,

there are hundreds of

sample letters of sympathy

and condolence for many

different situations on www.

obituarieshelp.org. See the

end of this E-book for a

list of links to condolence

examples that will help you

get started.

How you start your card

or letter is just like any

other letter. First, decide

whom you are addressing

in your letter, is this a

letter to the entire family

or just one person in

particular? If it is to the

entire family, addressing

it with the surname of

the family is appropriate.

Your first sentence should

acknowledge the passing

of their loved one and say

something about how his

loss makes you feel.

Step Four: What Should

I say in the Sympathy

Letter?

The next part of the letter

should say qualities you

admired about him or her,

tell a story you remember

about him or her or

explain how you knew the

deceased. You might have

to do a little brainstorming

for this part. You’ll want to

keep your stories tasteful

and show the deceased in

the best possible light.

This is not the time to bring

up mistakes or a lack of

judgment on the part of

the deceased. This letter

“First, decide whom

you are addressing

in your letter, is

this a letter to the

entire family or

just one person

in particular? if

it is to the entire

family, addressing

it with the surname

of the family is

appropriate. ”

is supposed to comfort his or

her family, not make them sad

or angry that the deceased

behaved badly. If you can’t

think of something positive to

say here, it’s best to just cut the

letter short or copy a comforting

poem. There are links to good

poems you can include in your

letter at the end of this E-book.

Step Five: How do I end the

Sympathy Letter?

The last part of the letter should

offer your help or prayers or

words of strength to help the

family cope with the death.

One possibility is to offer to do

something for the family that

would help them such as taking

care of their yard, or offering to

take their dogs for a walk, or

other such task that you know

they can’t or won’t want to do

while grieving. Close the letter

with a condolence phrase, and

then sign your name.

Step Six: Putting it all

Together

Once you’ve thought out what

you’d like to say in your letter

and written out some ideas

on your scrap paper, it’s time

to write out your final draft.

No, don’t grab that sympathy

card yet, write it out from start

to finish on scrap paper. You

don’t want to make mistakes,

if you do, it’s no big deal, but

practicing makes it look like you

put a lot of thought into it. Read

it over for mistakes and make

sure it says everything you

want it to. Here is an example

of a condolence letter that

follows all of the these steps:

Dear Smith Family,

I’m sorry to hear of John’s

passing. He was a great

man and I will miss him very

much.

Over the years working at

T&B Lumber, I had come to

know John very well and I

valued his friendship. He

always had a funny story

or a new joke to tell and

we’d have a good laugh. He

made the days fly by.

Please know that I am

thinking of you at this time of

loss and if there is anything

you need help with, please

call. In the meantime, I can

clear out his locker at work

and bring everything to you

next week. I’ll call before I

come over.

With deepest sympathy,

Ralph Winters

Step Seven: What should

I write my condolence

message on?

You want to send your

condolences on a nice card

or nice paper and envelop.

It’s worth it to make a

special trip to a stationary

supply store or order a card

online. The family of the

deceased will read this letter

over and over for years to

come. Whenever they think

of their deceased loved one

or when they need to see

some words of strength,

they will pull out your letter

and reread it. Nice paper or

a special card is important.

“If you can’t think

of something

positive to say here,

it’s best to just cut

the letter short or

copy a comforting

poem. There are

links to good poems

you can include in

your letter at the

end of this PDF.”

Links to Examples and Other

Important Sympathy Help:

Sympathy Flowers Reviews

Flower Delivery Services

Compare and Save On Flowers

Example Condolence Cards

Condolences Cards Examples

I am so very sorry. You gave …

Condolence Cards Phrases

I hope you find comfort and I...

Condolence Cards Examples

You and I haven't spent much

Condolences Examples

I am sorry to hear about your…

Condolence for flower cards

I hope these flowers bring…

Examples for Death of Dad

Sample Letter for a Father

I would like to express my…

Condolence Letter for Dad

I’m so very sorry to hear of …

Sympathy Letter about Dad

Words alone cannot express …

Condolence Letter for Father

I am truly saddened to hear…

Words of Condolence for Dad

Both Bill and I want to extend…

Death of Someone’s Husband

Husband Condolence Letter

Henry and I would like to…

Sympathy Words for Husband

Please know that you have my…

Condolence Sample Husband

I was deeply saddened by…

Condolence Letter Husband

I was deeply saddened by the…

Death of Grandfather

Sympathy for Grandfather

Your Grandfather was such a…

Condolences for Grandfather

How very sorry I was to learn…

Letter for an Older Man

I join with so many others …

Letter for an Old Friend

I am writing to express how…

Examples for Death of Mom

Sympathy Words About Mom

Your mom was a beautiful

person…

Messages of Sympathy Mom

I am so sorry to hear of your…

Condolences for a Mother

My thoughts are with you …

Condolence Letter Mother

I am so very sorry to hear…

Death of Someone’s Wife

Condolence Letter for Wife

I want to offer my sincere…

Sympathy Words About A Wife

My deepest sympathy for your…

Examples for Death of a Child

Sympathy for a Child

We are both so deeply …

Condolence Letter for a Son

While the loss of a loved one…

Death of a Daughter

No one knows why bad things…

Condolences for a Son

The death of your son…

Condolence for Young Friend

Yesterday I learned of the …

Death of a Brother

Your brother will be …

examples of

sympathy

letters and

cards to help

you write your

own letter:

Examples for Specific People

Sympathy Verses Examples

Sympathy Quotes

Condolence Phrases

Sympathy Sayings

Messages for Sympathy Cards

Words of Condolences

Sample Letters of Sympathy

Condolence Letters

Sympathy for Military Death