Sympathy Cards

About this collection

Sympathy cards are some of the hardest to write and the most important to send. The verses in this section were written under one rule: never explain a loss, never suggest it has a purpose, and never ask the bereaved to feel anything in particular. They simply say — in five different ways — I see you, I’m here, take all the time you need. That’s usually all that wants to be said. Print one on plain cardstock or heavy notepaper and write a single sentence of your own underneath if you can manage it. You don’t need to fill the page.

If you’re writing for a specific kind of loss — a parent, a child, a sibling, a spouse, a pet, an anniversary of a death — the more specific occasion pages below will be the better starting point. Otherwise, the general sympathy verses on each page are appropriate for almost any condolence.