I read this great piece of advice that I thought I should remember:
“When someone close to you has a tragedy, don’t just send flowers or a card… send yourself. Don’t avoid people when they have a death in their family. Get on a plane or in your car and go. They won’t remember what you said, but they will never forget you came. Be there again for that person in three months or six months, when everyone else will have forgotten and moved on. This is when real friendship counts most. Also, always say the name of the deceased person. Boom it right out loud. Everyone else will tiptoe around in silence, avoiding the name as if the person never existed. And that can hurt the most.”
— Harry Chandis, Former President of Ziff-Davis Publishing