Today I went to my second grief support group meeting. My father passed away in January. This isn’t the first time I’ve been through this. My mother passed away in 2004. It’s hard to know what to say to a grieving person and, believe me, a lot of people said things to me that were pretty upsetting (even though they were trying to be helpful). Today, they gave us a handout about how to help a grieving person. Here’s what it says about What to Say and What not to say. :

What to Say

“I’m sorry” is often the simplest and best.

What Not to Say

Cliches and platitudes, such as:

“It was God’s will.”

“I know just how you feel.”

“You’ll get over it in time.”

“She’s better off this way.”

“Life is for the living.”