Writing funeral thank you notes, especially when writing a thank you note after a funeral can seem like a source of stress to many. But writing can be a valuable and healing experience, even though it seems tough. Here are some tips on how to write them while you’re grieving, along with some sample thank you note wording to get you started.
Thank you notes need not be entirely hand-written. Your funeral home can usually supply tasteful cards with appropriate funeral thank you verses or even funeral thank you poems on them. Still, you’ll want to write something on the note or card, even if it’s only something non-specific like, “Thank you so much.”
Show gratitude for someone’s gift of help and time, by mentioning what they did. Thank them for their service, their time and especially their support during your time of grief.
If they gave money, mention your appreciation. There is no need to mention the amount, but stating what it was used for can be good form. Such as:
“Thank you for your generous gift. It was used for [purpose]. It helped take worry off of our shoulders during this tough time, and made our situation more bearable.”
You’ll also want to express your gratitude for flowers, with the appropriate thank you words.
“Thank you for your thoughtfulness. The flowers were beautiful. It helped make [deceased’s] service beautiful, and helped show the world how much [deceased] was loved.”
If you know your flowers, feel free to mention them in your card. If not, there’s no need to worry – a simple thank you is fine!
Thank you cards for food dishes are appropriate as well.
“It can be so hard to take care of one’s self when grieving and arranging a funeral. Thank you for thinking of us and helping take care of us during this time.”
Keep in mind that you don’t have to send funeral thank you notes to everyone who attended the funeral. In fact, it would be impossible to do so. People don’t usually leave their mailing addresses when they sign the guest book! So don’t trouble yourself by thinking you have to send a thank you card to everyone who attended.
Even without writing a funeral thank you card to every single attendee, the task can seem daunting. Keep in mind that you don’t have to write all of the funeral thank you cards at once. You don’t even have to mail them all at once – people will understand if the task takes you a while.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it. You can often get family members to help out. It will take the strain off you. You do not have to write all the funeral thank you notes! It will also give any other grieving family members something to occupy their minds, and help them perhaps work with their grief.
Writing funeral thank you notes doesn’t have to be an arduous experience. Know the proper thank you words – which you do, from the sample wording. Ask for help when you need it. Understand that you don’t have to write funeral thank you notes all at once. These three things can help turn a task of etiquette into a chance for healing.
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