There are so many things to take care of in the aftermath of a death in the family, the loss of a friend or loved one, even a car accident or the loss of a house in a flood. There is nothing quite like the love and support that one gets from the community and friends in times of need. They bring around meals that can be frozen and reheated so that one doesn’t need to cook or even think about cooking – although sometimes the tragedy is so overwhelming that people forget simple things like remembering to eat or even feeling the need to eat.
Be there for the children
If there are children in the family that are affected, it is a good idea for a friend, family member or God-parent to take them out for the day. Whether it is to give the parents time to mourn and make arrangements, or so that the child can remember what it feels like to be a kid again. Distract them with a walk in the park or take them to see a mind-numbing movie. There is something very comforting about sitting in a dark cinema and escaping from reality for an hour or two.
Funeral Preparations
If you are helping the family organise the funeral or a memorial service, there is so much to do in preparation. The first action is to call the undertakers and then find a priest, pastor or religious leader and a venue. Then of course the flowers for the funeral need to be organised – lately quite a lot of people ask for funeral flowers and donations to be sent to hospices or nursing homes.
Often there isn’t a lot of things you can do for sympathy except to just be there in the background and “on call” in case they need anything at all, you know, leave your phone on at night in case they call you in floods of tears just needing a friendly ear or a hug (if you are in driving distance) or if they just want to recount memories of the lost loved one. Of course they might need advice on organising trusts, estates, wills etc. and if you are in the legal profession that will be invaluable help because a lot of time they are so overwhelmed with everything else that is going on that they forget about the nitty gritty, legal side of things.
Be Supportive
Basically any help that you can offer them will be greatly appreciated, whether it is booking hotels and BnBs for out of town family members or finding the perfect florist that will be able to handle the
flowers for the memorial service or funeral. You can also just help to lighten the load by
sending sympathy flowers and gifts via
NetFlorist. For all your
funeral arrangements,
sympathy flowers or
funeral flowers, don’t forget that you can
buy sympathy flowers online with
NetFlorist. Log into your
NetFlorist account for
same day delivery of funeral flowers in South Africa.
Funeral Service Flowers
Condolence Gifts