Don’t stop checking in on them after the funeral is over, after everyone has gone home and returned to their seemingly normal lives. It is in this space of the “after” where normal no longer exists. Nothing is or will ever be the same for them again.
In this space, where the dust has settled and the quiet becomes deafening, grief sneaks in and demands their attention. It finds its voice, clings, suffocates, and bears no mercy on the bereaved. In the uncomfortable stillness, in the unbearable silence, it forces them to confront their sorrow and heartache.
It is in this fragile space that the realization of their loss hits them hardest, rendering them breathless. It is here where they need your support the most: someone to walk toward their grief, to acknowledge their loss, to see their pain. Someone to simply sit with them as they reconcile their drastically changed life.
The volume of grief right now is loud and unrelenting. Help them stifle the noise. Help them carry the weight of their sadness. As they take their first steps into this new, changed life, they will need your shoulder and listening ear.
Don’t walk away or turn a blind eye to their grief. Don’t assume they have enough support or that people are showing up for them. Don’t expect that they’ve moved on just because the funeral is over.
They haven’t.
Friend, this is when they need you most.
Be the friend who checks on them. Be the friend who stops by with a meal. Be the friend who offers to help around the house. Be the friend who will sit in silent, loving support. Be the friend who is there—no questions asked. Your simple acts of kindness—your check-ins, your gestures of care, your willingness to listen—make a difference.
In the days, weeks, and even months after the funeral, when the world continues to move on, remember this: For those who are grieving, their journey is just beginning. They are navigating a world that feels foreign and distant. Be the steady presence in their life. Be the friend who doesn’t disappear when the crowds do. Your support will be their lifeline.
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