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Showing posts from April, 2016

A Phrase It's Time To Retire

"So sorry for your loss". Life is full of tragedies; death is but one of them. When someone we know, someone we care about has a loss, we feel compelled to say... something . We want them to know that they're in our thoughts, in our prayers, that they know we care and that we're there to support them. A decade or more ago, we stammered for the words. In times of tragedy or loss we needed to something to say, but we didn't have those comforting words. The awkwardness increased as the Internet and social media grew, and we were more closely associated with our friends, no longer separated by distance and time. Then, slowly, a phrase was born that allowed us to express our empathy, easily. "I'm truly sorry for your loss". A simple phrase, but it acknowledges and empathizes with the loss, and can open a dialog where we can further discuss our shared grief. Recently, however, this simple phrase has become a trite habit. Instead of using the phra