Writing Bereavement ‘Thank You’ Notes To Express Your Gratitude

by Inspiration4Living.com

When a loved one passes on, there are so many things you have to do. Even when the service is over and the mourners have gone, you still have to face the task of writing your bereavement ‘Thank you’ notes in response to all the kindness you’ve received during such a sad and traumatic time of your life.

Try to find bereavement ‘Thank you’ notes with words or poems that express how grateful you feel for all the support you’ve received. These can sometimes be obtained from the funeral home or an online source.

You don’t have to write a lot on the notes; a sentence or two will be enough to express your thanks to the recipient. If they have shared happy memories with the deceased, then a short description of those memories would remind them that you have not forgotten the happier times you had in common.

You don’t have to write them all yourself if you don’t feel able to; you can have a close relative do this for you, depending on the recipient, of course, and beginning with ‘On behalf of the family‘ or spouse. This would be appropriate when it’s simply a case of thanking someone for a card or for their compassion during your time of mourning.

A simple beginning for a bereavement ‘Thank you’ note could be, ‘Thank you for your kindness’ and following that with perhaps a few words thanking the person for sending flowers or driving some of the mourners in the funeral procession, for example. Someone who helped the family at home by bringing food or helping to make funeral arrangements also needs to receive a bereavement ‘Thank you’ note for their kindness. Make a note of who brought what food so that you can mention the fact that you enjoyed the casserole or cake when writing your card.

Not all of the mourners will have been able to attend the funeral service, but perhaps came to offer condolences by signing the visitor’s book at the funeral home, so it would be appropriate to send them a ‘Thank you’ card. Some people may have made a charitable donation in honor of the deceased, so be sure to thank them, too.

Some of the bereavement notes should definitely be written by you, but you will know which ones they are: close friends, family, and the minister who officiated at the service. Don’t be afraid to delegate some of the card writing to other family members, though – you don’t have to write them all. You don’t have to begin writing them straight away, either – give yourself some time to recover and get ready to face the world again. It’s perfectly fine to wait a week or two, or even three. There’s no set timeframe for writing the notes; just take things slowly if you need to.

Get assistance with mailing the bereavement ‘Thank you’ notes and with addressing the envelopes and stamping and sealing them. Don’t be afraid to give up control of this; you may be exhausted and unable to complete even small tasks, so don’t hesitate to ask for help. Someone will be more than happy to take them to the Post Office for you.

The loss of a loved one is one of the most traumatic times of a person’s life, and yet there are so many ‘arrangements’ to be made, people to be informed, and bereavement ‘Thank you’ notes to be written afterwards. However, if you are only able to sign your name to a printed card, then that’s okay – people will understand.

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