In this comprehensive guide, we go in-depth on how to write a sympathy card, covering topics like why to send one, how to address it, and a ton of writing prompts, as well as what not to write. Learn how to express your condolences to friends, relatives, and acquaintances when they lose a loved one by reading through this comprehensive guide. There are numerous methods to show condolences to people, but nothing is more treasured during and after such intense sadness as a handmade sympathy card.
Why should you send sympathy cards?
Of course, you may send the bereaved individual or family a sympathy ecard or text message too, but don't forget to provide a traditional sympathy card as well. A card that has been picked, purchased (or created), scrawled on, and sent or delivered by hand conveys more care than a short message sent through your phone, which takes only seconds to send.
After a loss, sympathy cards online are frequently left on display for several weeks as a visible reminder of the support and affection each sender has provided. Additionally, a sympathy card, note, or letter will be read often throughout time, offering enduring comfort to the receiver at their darkest moments.
Who should the sympathy card be addressed to?
Who should you address the sympathy cards to first, then? Do you write one person's name on a condolences card or the complete family? Here is a quick approach for addressing your card in response to this often asked question. Address your letter to the nearest living family or relatives, who are often the wife/husband or oldest kid, if you had a close relationship with the dead.
Write to them if you didn't know the person who passed away but your friend or family was a close friend or relative of the person who passed away. Write to your friend if they have experienced a loss. Always keep in mind that you have the option of finishing your welcome with "and family.”
In spite of the fact that the person they were married to has passed away, you should still address a widow or widower as Mr. or Mrs. since they are still husband or wife and would very definitely prefer to be treated as such.
Quotes to add in Sympathy cards
Quotes may be quite beneficial in situations where you want to let someone else speak instead of you. Alternately, you could choose to add a relevant quotation to your condolences in order to strengthen or reinforce what you've previously said. You can find more helpful examples below, or you can find your own.
- “Grief is not a sign of weakness, nor a lack of faith. It is the price of love.” — Unknow
- “When the heart grieves over what it has lost, the spirit rejoices over what it has left.” — Sufi Epigram
- “As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so a life well spent brings happy death.” — Leonardo da Vinci
- “A great soul serves everyone all the time. A great soul never dies. It brings us together again and again.” — Maya Angelou
- “I know for certain that we never lose the people we love, even to death. They continue to participate in every act, thought and decision we make. Their love leaves an indelible imprint in our memories. We find comfort in knowing that our lives have been enriched by having shared their love.” – Leo Buscaglia
- “To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die.” – Thomas Campbell
- “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” – Abraham Lincoln
- “Like a bird singing in the rain, let grateful memories survive in time of sorrow.” – Robert Louis Stevenson
- “Sorrow is so easy to express and yet so hard to tell.” — Joni Mitchell
- “How very softly you tiptoed into our world, almost silently, only a moment you stayed. But what an imprint your footsteps have left upon our hearts.” – Dorothy Ferguson
How to conclude a sympathy card
You must be considering what to write in the conclusion of a condolence card or how to sign one. Closing suggestions include the following clauses:
- Many thanks, with love
- Peace be with you.
- You are in our hearts and minds as we send you our sincere condolences and kindest wishes. I am here for you.
- We sincerely adore and support you.
While sending a sympathy card to someone who has just lost a loved one is sweet, it is also considerate to get in touch with the individual again—whether it be in person, over the phone, via email, or in a letter. If you get in touch with the bereaved on the anniversary of the loss of their loved one, too, to let them know you are thinking of them, they would appreciate it.
