“I’m so sorry for your loss” … “Let me know if there is anything I can do” … “We are keeping your family in our thoughts” … While these common sympathy card phrases may accurately relay how you are feeling toward friends and family members, they may come up short of what you want to express after someone has passed. They may feel generic in comparison to the uniqueness and specialness of the person that is being honored. At Lighten, we believe that everything surrounding a memorial or celebration of life can be deeply personalized to your loved one. And this includes the message written in a sympathy card. In this article, we are providing tips to help you get started on finding the words to show you are thinking about the meaningfulness of someone’s life.
Being Yourself
Tradition often dictates that we express sympathy in the form of grief; being sorry that someone is gone. And this is a valid feeling, just as all feelings are. That said, if you are feeling sentimental or celebratory of your loved one’s life, it’s okay to write that into the sympathy card. Sympathy cards can be an outlet for you to express why the unique personality of your loved one will be remembered, cherished, and loved forever. In short, feel free to be yourself when writing a sympathy card message.
Personalized Touches to a Sympathy Card
To personalize a sympathy card, you can try thinking of specific things about the loved one’s personality, likes, and interests to mention in your message. By naming something personal, the recipient might feel closer to their loved one for those moments they spend reading your card.
- Respected values. “I will never forget how kind ___ was to animals. There wasn’t a critter they would let go uncared for. This trait will influence me forever.”
- Fun traits. “___ was so well known for making those silly knock knock jokes. So today, I want to pass on a knock knock joke to you…”
- Favorite foods. “In honor of ___, our family will be partaking in her favorite meal of spaghetti and meatballs tomorrow night.”
- Favorite drink. “Tonight, we raise an Old Fashioned in honor of ___.”
- Favorite song. “___ would light up a room whenever they sang and danced along with the song, “____.” Here, in honor of her, I will transcribe a favorite lyric.”
- Shared hobbies. “I’ve never known a fisherman quite like ___. I will always think of him and about how much his company was enjoyed every time I see the sun rise over the lake.”
Celebration of Life Card
One approach you may take to writing a sympathy card is by celebrating the life and legacy of the loved one. The goal of this approach might be to make the recipient smile; to remind them that the life lost was also a life well-lived.
- “The joy and smiles brought about by ___ shall live on forever. I will take a moment to smile today in honor of her.”
- “During this time, I am reflecting on the multitude of lives that were touched by ___’s. The loss of him was preceded by so much gained by many.”
- “___ weaved the fabric that brings so many people together to celebrate the love, joy, and happiness that she brought to us.”
- “I feel so grateful to share with you the memories of ____. I’m glad this is something we can cherish forever.
Looking for further ideas for writing a card when you won’t be able to attend the memorial? Or a thank you note following a memorial? You can check out these Personalized Celebration of Life Card Messages.
