When Compassion is a Really Bad Idea

two young women lying down, their blond and brunette hair cascading down the bonnet of a car.

When I was in my twenties and thirties, I loved being surrounded by friends who “understood” me. Naive and immature as I was, I didn’t realize that these friendships were not authentic and didn’t serve my best interests. Here’s a story to illustrate what I mean. Mona was a close friend of mine, a part…

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With Sympathy…Chelsea Hanson

chelsea hanson

Wisconsin native Chelsea Hanson is the founder of With Sympathy Gifts and Keepsakes. An only child,  Chelsea lost her dad when she was only four. Losing her mom Donna when she was 28 years old was another devastating blow. Today, the 43-year-old is a Grief expert, entrepreneur, and author of five booklets about life after loss whose…

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Expressing sympathy to the bereaved

sympathy for the bereaved

How do you say you’re sorry for another’s loss? Words often seem an inadequate container to hold the enormity of loss. We struggle with phrases and expressions that will best communicate our sympathy. Some tips might help make this formidable task easier. What you write and how much depends on your relationship with the deceased and…

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