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How to support a grieving widow?

  • Send Care Packages

    • Help your friend or family member feel special with sweet care packages sent at random times throughout the year.​

    • Include self-care items like bath salts, lotions, and facial masks to help her relax. 

    • Send journals or relatable inspirational books with her favorite snacks or drinks

  • Make a Standing Date Night

    • Pick a day out of the month or week and ask if it can be a standing "date" for you and your friend or family member.​

    • Stay consistent. 

    • Don't put so much pressure on going somewhere. Sometimes the company is needed over the venue or outing.

  • Suggest Ways to Help Rather Than Ask

    • To help them out, try not to say, “What can I do to help?” Instead try, “I’d like to come over on Saturday afternoon to weed your garden. Is that ok?”

    • As a widow, in the thick of grief, sometimes we forget what we need. The wording goes a long way.

  • Mark Your Calendar with those Important Dates

    • Send a card, call/text, or show up to their home on those special dates:

      • Anniversaries ​

      • Birthdays

      • Holidays

      • Angelversarys/Dates their spouse passed away

  • Share memories, videos, or picture

    • By continuing the legacy, it makes a widow not feel so alone.  Remembering their loved ones makes them not feel alone.

    • You may think if you bring them up, it will upset the widow.  Truth is, the widow is most likely thinking of life, their spouse/partner, or the "what should be"-so by talking about them doesn't upset them. Instead it probably makes them feel good about hearing someone us think of their person.

What not to say to a widow

  • It was their time

  • ​Your young, you'll get married again

  • I know what it's like. I've been divorced

  • Provide Compassion, Not Pity

  • You're still crying over their death?​

  • Be grateful for the time you were married

  • You must stay strong for your children

  • Don’t feel bad, your spouse is no longer in pain

  • Everything happens for a reason

  • What are your plans for their personal belongings?

  • I know what you’re going through (then start talking about your own loss)

PLEASE NOTE: The information provided by Widows in Motion  on all platforms is not to be interpreted as professional advice. No one on the Motion team is professional therapist or counselor. All interactions are intended for educational and informational purposes only. 

Widows in Motion is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization and contributions are tax-deductible. Our EIN is 88-1474173

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