We recently had a coworker pass away and I was the person who got the sympathy card to pass around to give to his family. He had worked for the company since moving here in 1998, and apparently suffered a heart attack Wednesday night. His wife called to tell us yesterday morning and we are all in shock - this was so unexpected and he will be missed by all of us here.
Our Human Resources Manager is out on vacation, so I shopped for the card and decided that we might as well order some nice sympathy cards to keep on hand for future use. One of the sad aspects of working for a large company is that yo share a lot of life’s tragedies with your fellow workers as well as the good times like birthdays, new babies, and other reasons to celebrate. If we are going to keep a selection of birthday cards on hand then we might as well be prepared with cards for the less happy occasions, too.
In a time of sorrow the need to say something comforting to the survivors is a very human response. We need to express our caring for the person who passed and offer comfort to the loved ones left behind. Something that I like to include in a sympathy card is a little story or memory to share with the family.
My mother had wonderful social skills and I have to admit that the little I know I got from her good example. At my grandfather’s funeral, I listened to what the people said to my grandmother and to my mother as they were greeted at the funeral home. I decided that the best thing to say to someone’s spouse or parent is to just say, “This is a sad day.” or “We are all going to miss him very much.” Just saying something simple and heartfelt is good for me to express my feelings without getting choked up or mumbling or saying something stupid, and it is good for the family to hear. That’s what I write on the sympathy cards, too - just a simple one or two sentences that let them know that I care.
