Grieving the death of someone from suicide

Dealing With Grief When the Death was a Suicide

Doing and Saying Just the Right Things When A Person Takes His or Her Own Life In our culture, suicide is particularly difficult for friends and family. Police are involved. An autopsy is required by law. In some cases, family and friends are suspected of foul play. Survivors often feel incredibly guilty that they didn’t do enough to prevent the tragedy. Here are some things you can do to offer support to friends and family when a suicide occurs. When you learn that a person has taken his or her own life…


Grieving loss from a terminal illness

Dealing With Grief following Death from a Terminal Illness

Doing and Saying Just the Right Things When a Terminal Illness Takes a Life It’s not uncommon to feel helpless when someone has a terminal illness. When death occurs, there is often guilt at feeling relief. Caregivers can feel empty without the daily challenge of caring for their loved one. Here are some things you can do be supportive to friends and family following their loss. When a person dies from a terminal illness…



Offering Condolences

Offering Condolences – Saying & Doing the Right Things

Note: Our etiquette tips, including Offering Condolences, have a broad application to many religious traditions; however, some religions and ethnicities have specific requirements or traditions of their own. For more information, see our Funeral Customs section. Acknowledging the Death One of the reasons why people are so uncomfortable at a wake or funeral is because […]


Writing A Eulogy

Writing Eulogies

The eulogy is usually the most personal part of a funeral service because it acknowledges the uniqueness of the deceased and his or her meaning to others.


Buddhist Funeral Service Rituals

Note: Buddhist funeral customs vary between traditions or “schools” and even within schools. They may also vary depending on the country—for example, Zen in Taiwan and Zen in Japan are different. The following information is general and applies to many or most Buddhist traditions. If you have specific questions related to Buddhist funeral customs for […]


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