Real-World Words of Comfort

1.      “My husband was in the hospital, recovering from major surgery. I returned home late one night and found an acquaintance had made me a banana bread and left it in my mailbox. I was so touched, that remembering it even now brings me to tears. She has since become a friend and I will never forget her kindness.”

2.      “In the year since my husband has died, my daughter has given me a special surprise every month on the anniversary of his death. It might be a candy bar on my pillow or a scarf on the front seat of my car. One month she was out of town and I was surprised to find flowers on my dresser. She instructed her husband to come to the house on his lunch break so I would find something special when I returned from work. Her thoughtfulness has lightened my heart during this difficult year.”

3.      “My mother-in-law arrived a few minutes after I returned home from the hospital after a miscarriage. I told her I wasn’t up for entertaining. She told me to rest and she sat by my bed to keep me company. She said nothing all afternoon, just sat by my bed. It was the nicest and most caring thing she has ever done for me.”

4.     “The year after my mother died, my husband had surgery for cancer. My kids were teen-agers and I had no one to lean on – it was just me and the stress was overwhelming. I spoke to my sister and told her how stressed I was. She told me to call her to vent anytime and said “Just pretend I’m mom.”

5.      “My husband was terminally ill and my two sisters and their husbands were flying in from out of town for the day so they could see him one last time. My colleagues wanted to help out so they provided lunch - a platter of sandwiches and drinks. It made the day so much easier.” 

6.      “My baby died eight months into my pregnancy. My good friend accompanied me to the hospital where they induced labor. Every year on that date, she sends me a bouquet of flowers.”

7.      “At a fraternity meeting, I told my brothers that my dad was having surgery for prostate cancer. One of the brothers took me aside later and told me his dad had surgery for prostate cancer too. He assured me his dad was fine and my dad was going to be fine too. He told me to hang in and we would all get through it – and we did!”

8.      “I fractured a bone in my foot and was in terrible pain and incapacitated for weeks. My friends didn’t seem to understand my plight - all but one. She brought me lunch one day and a Starbucks coffee another. She called and kept in touch and when I was finally ready for my first outing, she picked me up so I could treat her to lunch.”    

9.      “I had back surgery and convalesced for four weeks. My office sent a memo to the entire organization, letting them know of my surgery as well as my home address. I felt very supported as I received cards and notes of good wishes the entire four weeks I was home.”

10.  “When my mother-in-law passed away, my daughter’s three roommates drove from college to pay their respects at her wake. They then had to drive back for classes the next day.  They did this for my daughter and their ‘honorary parents.’ That was seven years ago and I have never forgotten the gesture.”

11. “One of the most helpful reactions I got when I told people about my impending divorce was a client who burst into tears.  She apologized, but said that she knew how incredibly painful the whole situation was since she had ended a marriage many decades earlier, with young kids and had never regretted it for a moment.  I felt like I had been given permission to feel all the sadness I felt about this situation, even though I knew it was best for everyone involved.”