How to Help

Attending a Funeral: What to Know

Legacy offers advice from experts to help answer all of your funeral etiquette questions: What is the difference between a memorial service and a funeral? What should I say to the deceased's family at the visitation? Does it matter what I wear?

Gary Hargrove worked tirelessly to identify Hurricane Katrina victims

Gary Hargrove’s job was a straightforward one. As , home to Biloxi and Gulfport, he was responsible for determining the details of the county’s deaths — time, cause, manner.

10 Holiday Gifts for Grievers

If you’re shopping for someone who is grieving, the usual gifts may not seem quite right.

What Is Bereavement Leave?

Bereavement leave is when an employee takes time off from work following the death of someone close to them.

What to Say When Someone Dies

When someone you care about is grieving, finding the right words can feel overwhelming. This article offers practical, compassionate guidance on what to say—and how to listen—after a death, emphasizing simplicity, empathy, and sincerity. It explores supportive responses for a wide range of situations, from sudden or traumatic losses to long illness, strained relationships, and losses involving children, coworkers, or even strangers. With expert insights, examples of thoughtful phrases, and reminders of what to avoid saying, the guide helps readers express sympathy in ways that acknowledge loss, offer comfort, and remind the bereaved that they are not alone.

Tips and Advice for Pallbearers

Serving as a pallbearer is a serious job, but it doesn't have to be overwhelming.

What to Do for a Grieving Mother on Mother's Day

Some thoughtful acts can make this time a little less painful.

Best Sympathy Quotes

This article brings together 57 timeless sympathy quotes drawn from history, literature, scripture, and voices of spiritual and philosophical reflection. Spanning cultures and centuries, these words offer comfort, perspective, and reassurance to those navigating grief, loss, and mourning. From well-known authors and poets to biblical passages and proverbs, the collection is designed to help readers find language that honors love, acknowledges sorrow, and offers hope when words feel hardest to find.

When a Bereaved Coworker Returns to the Job

If you worry about what to say and do when a bereaved coworker comes back to work, you're not alone.

After Her Husband Died, Neighbors Didn't Let This Farm Widow Down

Some heroes wear blue jeans and drive tractors.

How to Help During a Natural Disaster

With Hurricane Harvey and vast flooding dominating the news, it’s easy to feel helpless in the wake of such personal tragedy. In this technology-driven world, we’re witnessing breaking news; reading, seeing and hearing first-hand how these disasters personally impact individuals and communities. Who can forget the faces of the heroes, carrying children through the flooded streets or rescuing the elderly and those trapped in flooded homes and apartments? Those interviewed after losing their loved ones, homes, schools and places of employment break our hearts.

The Power of Condolences

Friends and family members play a crucial role in extending support during mourning.

Must Bereaved Parents Grieve Alone?

"The true way to mourn the dead is to take care of the living who belong to them."

Attending a Funeral: What's In It For You?

So many rituals, which bind us together, have fallen by the wayside in our society — and funerals are on the endangered species list.

How To Comfort When a Pet Dies

Your support of someone mourning a beloved pet can positively impact their healing.

Online Community Advises and Comforts New Widow

When confronted with the unexpected death of a loved one we often don't know where to turn when we need advice.

Why Is It So Hard to Ask for Help?

It’s really tough to ask for help. And yet we all face experiences that are so difficult, it is impossible to cope by ourselves.

People Want to Be Helpful, But...

Grievers cope with what people don't say—and what they do.