Sympathy messages

We find ourselves bereft of words, even sympathy messages, when someone has died. However, people who have lost someone, who were close to their heart, get comfort from knowing that their loved one was a part of others lives, so it will help them if, you can write a few words of sympathy, for them.

One of the most meaningful acts of kindness you can do for a mourner is to write messages of sympathy. Although, I must add that a sympathy message unlike, a condolence message, can be used at other occasions too, like when there has been any injury, divorce, or any other kind of misfortune to the said person.

The words of sympathy and memory are comforting to the surviving family. Moreover, mourners are very appreciative that you took due care to compose a personalized message to them or share a memory of the deceased. For those who work with patients who are dying, penning-down a sympathy message reflects on both the pain and the rewards of their work. When we can appreciate the privilege it is to bear witness to the courage, kindness, caring and dignity that their patients as well as their families exhibit under duress, gives them the strength to continue their work.

A message of sympathy has two things to achieve, namely, to pay tribute to the deceased and to be a source of comfort to the survivors. The best messages are like conversations, as if you were talking face-to-face. Most often, they are written to the bereaved person to whom you feel closest, although it could be a general message to the family. It should be written and sent promptly, generally within a week after the death. Use any standard stationery and write it in your own hand-writing.

A sympathy message is one of the most difficult things in the world to write. People are shocked upon hearing the news. They are at a loss of words and feel utterly terrible, due to which, it becomes even more difficult. To add to their agony, they have got to address their message to the kind of persons who are in pain and debate whether their life is even worth living, which makes the matters worse.

However, you have got to write a sympathy message if, the deceased was a friend or even a colleague in your office. It becomes imperative that you convey your sympathy sayings because if, you don`t then, people might be left wondering, how you have ignored sending your sympathy message even when a person, whom you knew, just passed away. Believe me, it will not be easy to overlook this mistake…calling it a mistake is infact, an understatement and I would have no hesitation in calling it a blunder.

However, there is one important differentiating factor, I would like to bring out between a condolence message and a sympathy message. That difference is the fact that a condolence message is only offered in the case of death i.e, when a person has just passed away. Whereas, a sympathy message can be extended to those who have suffered from a natural disaster or a fire, storm, flood, job-loss (and believe me, you are bound to find plenty of those during this time of economic recession), a violent crime, or some other kind of misfortunes.

Nowadays, people seem to have forgotten that difference between a condolence message & a sympathy message. In any case, there was a very fine line separating them.