What to write in a sympathy card?

Finding the right words in times of loss and grief is never easy. We often worry about saying the wrong thing, but the truth is, the simplest messages are usually the most powerful. What matters most is letting someone know they’re not alone.

Let the Postmark team give you some tips to help you find the right words to say.

Postmark reminder: The most important thing is showing up for someone in their time of grief, even a small message of love makes a big difference.

Here are some possible sentence openers for you to use: 

• "Thinking of you in this difficult time..."
• "I am so sorry to hear about your loss..."
• "My heart goes out to you and your family..."

And some others that might feel more personal:

• "The world won't be the same without [Name]…"
• "You're not alone, I'm just a phone call away..."

Postmark top tip: You don't have to be perfect, sometimes a few sentences from the heart will still show sincerity.

There are a number of different things you can say in a sympathy card, can depend on your relationship with the person. However, here are some generalised suggestions for what you might want to include;

Simple and heartfelt messages: Most of the time simple messages to someone grieving like, "Thinking of you and your family and holding you in my thoughts.”

Personalised to the loved one: You can write about your experiences knowing the family grieving, anything more personal to them like, “I feel lucky to have known [Name]…” or "A great memory I had of [Name] was...".

Offering comfort and support for the person grieving: Sometimes actions speak louder than words, offering support to someone can mean a lot. Offering help in the cards such as, “If there’s anything I can do to help, from a chat to running errands…” or even just saying "I'm here to talk when you need" can really bring someone comfort in their hard times.

A final note from Postmark:

At the end of the day, there’s no perfect way to write a sympathy card. What matters most is showing up for someone in their grief and letting them know you care. A few heartfelt words (however simple) can bring comfort when it’s needed most.