Funeral flowers, donations, and memorial items are the most common choices when it comes to giving a mourning gift. The problem with flowers is that they often provide little use the family and only take up space. Give one of these more useful gifts along with funeral flowers instead to express sympathy to the family.
Food a Week Later
Many people will show up with food for the family right after the loss. The deliveries tend to stop after the funeral. Grieving doesn't end once the funeral does. Bring the family food that will last them for weeks to come. Provide frozen foods that are easy to heat or non-perishable foods they can pull out on days when cooking just seems impossible.
Household Essential Gift Baskets
With so many people coming and going after a sad loss, the family ends up with more mess. That isn't something they should have to do deal with at all. Bring the family a gift basket filled with useful household items. Toilet paper is a great choice. Visitors will use the bathroom and nobody will want to shop to get more toilet paper. Plastic tableware is another excellent addition to the gift basket. There will be no dishes to wash after meals.
Cleaning and Phone Service
Provide the family with your services, but don't be a bother. Sometimes there are too many guests around when the family just wants to be alone and grieve.
Offer to help in quieter way. Provide phone service for the family. Have phone calls forwarded to you. You can answer questions about the funeral service and dinner, something the family won't want to answer again and again. Provide cleaning service for the family after the visiting crowds calm down. Don't linger. Just clean and leave.
Photographs
Go around to everyone that knew the deceased and ask for photographs of the deceased. They are bound to have plenty of photographs that the family never saw. Make copies of the photos is the owner doesn't want to give them. Either make a giant photo album or put them all on a disc for computer viewing. Give this gift to the family.
All of these gifts will make things easier for the family. Send traditional flowers for the funeral and then give one of these gifts later to show that you are still thinking of the family even after the funeral ends. For more tips, contact local resources like Walker Funeral Home.
Share18 March 2015
Following the death of my grandfather, I found myself in the awkward position of having to write the obituary. I wanted to capture the spirit of him and list everything he was proud of in his life, including his family and work accomplishments. However, at the same time, I knew that I had a limited amount of space to work with. After spending hours researching obituaries, I finally felt confident in my skills and proceeded to write my grandfather's. In my opinion, it was perfect. Writing an obituary while you are grieving your loss is challenging, but I hope that my website helps you write one for your loved one that helps capture who they were as a person.