My Deepest Sympathies...: Meaningful Sentiments for Condolence Notes and Conversations, Plus a Guide to Eulogies

It is not easy to give voice to anyone who is grieving. This book offers appropriate suggestions and words in and for different situations. It helped me to compose a sympathy letter to the family of a dear friend when I couldn't think of anything that was fresh and sincere. The author has focussed on loving words as offerings of tenderness and caring for the bereaved.

For me, writing a condolence note has always been right up there with having a tooth pulled at the dentist. I never know exactly what to say, which is why Isaacs' book, "My Deepest Sympathies," is so valuable. She covers every conceivable situation (including the really tough ones, like the death of a child or suicide) and every relationship, so that you can write something personal, without worrying about sounding dumb or insensitive. When a client's wife died, it was such a relief to pull out the book, turn to the right chapter, and find tips and examples that helped me write my own appropriate words. The chapter on composing eulogies is a bonus.