I’m really inspired along with your writing skills as well as with the format on your blog. Is this a paid subject or did you modify it yourself? Anyway keep up the nice quality writing, it’s uncommon to peer a great blog like this one these days..

I recently learned that my manager lost his wife in her fight with brain cancer. It will so hard for me to even open up to him and discuss how he was feeling considering he has to be in store almost every day of the week.

I guess the worst part is admitting that they are gone. Sympathy comes easy but its admitting that life goes on that holds us back.

I agree with you Dorian. Even though she did not die, she probably left such a deep embark on his heart that she has become a mere memory. I think death is the same thing. Death is something that we tend to hesitate to talk about even though we understand that we all have to leave this earth. It is about making the difference and showing that side of humanity that really makes you a better person.

My second cousin’s aunt just lost her grandmother. As a young women, it is hard to show those feelings of sympathy as we come from different sphere of lives. She was so special to her. For young women who look up to their elderly relatives for support, the attachment comes naturally. Life for her will be tough but I have a feeling that will solid support of her other family and friends that she will heal.

Wow, yeah I always wondered people who are terminally ill manage to keep courage and still go on with therapy, which again is so difficult to achieve. Cancer patients are very strong but need support, which is crucial for their healing. That is why being compassionate to them really matters because it allows them to have hope and faith.

When I think of death, I think about leaving a legacy. One guy that left legacy was Walter Payton. Not only was he an exceptional athlete but his personality and charisma was exceptional. He set a legacy as a person and had an organization named after him. Payton’s continuous fight with cancer was the only fallacy. Yet, he will always be remembered.

I read a very interesting article about 5 things that nurses recall that discusses what patients say in their deathbed. One of the crucial things they stated was the fact that they wished they spend more time with their loved ones. This was prevalent for individuals who were breadwinners who were so indulged with their work life that everything else became second. That is highly unfortunate considering the fact that most marriages fail because of finances. In a world in which money rules everything, it is hard to understand that life extends beyond work. I remember my first corporate job in sales in which I used to work around 50 hours with kids and a wife. It was something that I knew I could not undergo for much longer.

At times, I really wish I could express the sorrow as a loss often feels very profound and can damage the heart. Personalized sympathetic cards can deliver the message is such a clear manner. The feeling of comforting others is the best thing you can do if someone is suffering with a loss. Telling that someone that you are there for them in time of need is truly the greatest feeling ever.

Regardless of believing in one particular religion, something that I have embraced is the fact that I understand that my loved ones who have passed away are in a better place. As much as we think that this world is our only destination, we must have hope that they are in a better place indeed. One must understand that the second part of journey has just begun. Life holds many facets and Earth is just one of them.

If death meant just leaving the stage long enough to change costume and come back as a new character…Would you slow down? Or speed up?” Would you be remembered?

Writer Chuck Palahniuk

Let the gesture of a Funeral Note, speak for itself…….

Jackie Cooper Died May 2011

Jackie Cooper died this past year in May 2011. He was 88 and started appearing in movies as an extra at the ripe old age of 3. He joined the “Our Gang “crew after he became a professional at 7. At age 9 he became the youngest performer ever to receive an Academy Award Nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his role in Skippy (1931).

He remained the youngest actor ever nominated for “nearly fifty years” until Justin Henry was nominated at age 8 for his work as Best Supporting Actor in Kramer vs. Kramer (1979).

Jackie Cooper was born in Los Angeles, CA in Sept. 14, 1922 to Mabel Bigelow on Sept. 14, 1922 who raised him as a single parent after his father John Cooper left them at age two. It was no fluke that Jackie ended up making a name for himself in the business. It’s just the age he started and the scope of his career will surprise more than a few despite his familial connections. His mother was a stage pianist and a former child star in the early 1900s. His mother’s brother Jack was a screen writer and their sister was an actress married to Norman Taurog. His uncle would later direct him in his Oscar nominated performance. His stepfather would be a studio production manager. His career was not written in the stars but how could’ve anyone foreseen that he would work over sixty-years in the film business to become one of its last great monuments. He worked from the age of silent films to the present, retiring in 1989.

Young Jackie Cooper was “the most popular, recognized child star of the 1930s.” That means nothing to this generation or the fact that he paved the way for Shirley Temple’s success. He was the” first kid to shine in talkies.” He shined in Hal Roaches’ “Our Gang” and uniquely so in every project he was cast in there after, as kids often do. Though his relationship with Wallace Berry in The Champ, The Bowery and Treasure Island seemed like a match made in Hollywood heaven, according to Cooper it was not. Cooper worked as a child and teenager. He later opposed ” children growing up as actors.” Before returning to work in the late 50s and 60s he joined the Navy and became a captain during WWII. Much has been said, more has bern written.

Over the course of his career he acted, operated as president of program development at Columbia, diercted dozens of episodic TV projects and later returned to acting in features and fame in the late 70s and 80s as Perry White in the Supernan series starring Christopher Reeves. During his time as president of development of Colunbia he helped package Bewitched, cast Sally Field as Gidget and acted on the Twilight Zone. He would also go on to gain fame directing dozens of “eposodic television series”: Black Sheep Squadron, Quincy, M.E., Cagney & Lacey and Sledge Hammer. He won Enny Awards for his role in Mash and the White Shadow. His dance with destiny never quite ended even in 1989 when he’d retired. He was still directing episodes for the syndicated series Superboy. When he died this past May his attorney Roger Licht said, ” he just kinda died of old age.” “He wore out.” If that is indeed the case he surely had given audiences enough to last more than this lifetime through to the next. He received a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame in 1960, fifty two years ago, way before a lot of us were born.

Most audience of this generation haven’t heard or seen the movies for which he first became famous: the Champ( 1931), Treasure Island (1934) or Skippy (1931). Fortunately the films, the performaces and memories haven’t worn out. You can see exactly how they’ve contributed to the modern genre, how they have been immortalized for countless generations to come how his contributions shall not be forgotten.

“Sincerity” does not mean sticking to a person
when u don’t have any option
sincerity means keeping some one as a daily reminder even with options”

So beautiful, something my grandmother used to say to my grand father used to say after she underwent a heart surgery. After 6 years of battling cancer, she finally rested in peace. What a wonderful couple..

Wow this is awfully nice of her. I wonder how she was feeling to show that gesture. That is Sympathy and gratitude in a very pure form.

Hey there, you’ve done a great job. I will definitely forward it and personally recommend this to my friends. I’m confident they’ll be benefited from this site.

“Dying is like coming to the end of a long novel–you only regret it if the ride was enjoyable and left you wanting more.” Perhaps we are stuck remembering something we hadn’t had the chance to ask or envisioning another much more fairy tale like ending.

Writer: JEROME P. CRABB

Davy Jones Dies, Already Immortalized….

David Thomas Jones said his final goodbye on Wed Feb 29, 2012. The English entertainer, singer, song writer best known for his role as lead singer of the Monkees died of a sudden heart attack, according to medical autopsy results in Martin County, Florida.

He starred in the hit TV show of the same name, the Monkees, patterned after the real life Beattle’s invasion. The Monkeys premiered on NBC in 1966 and was canceled in 1968. I was born in 1967 and introduced to the Monkees through syndicated reruns, like many. They are still running, creating interest on what have become timeless issues: adolesence, family, fortune, fame and the changing landscape of American society.

David Thomas Jones was 66 when he died and continued to add to his repertoire as an entertainer. He was born in Manchester, England on Dec 1945. His career began eleven years later when he appeared on Coronation Street, a British television soap opera. Unfortunately the death of his mother at age 14 propelled him in a totally different direction. He tried horse jockeying instead and later returned to acting. Basil Foster trained him as a jockey but was approached by a casting agent for his role as the “Artful Dodger” in the London run of the musical Oliver Twist. He followed the cast to Broadway where he was nominated for a Tony Award in Feb 1964. Ironically his first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show was at the same time as the Beattles. Jones “watched the Beattles from the side of the stage” and realized at that moment he wanted “a piece” of that. He and his band members did get ” a piece of” fame during their hey day from 1965-71.

The Monkees originally aired 1966 from 1966-68, strring Davy Jones, Mickey Dolenz, Peter Tork and Michael Nesmith. Davy Jones sang lead for the band. “I Wanna Be Free” and “Day Dream Believer” were songs that ent No. 1. “Day Dream Believer” was the number one song for the year of 1967 and they released four albums that reached No. 1 on the Hot 100 Chart. Davy continued to perform after the Monkees on television and Broadway. His career and the Monkees’ were filled with several more resurrections: appearances in episodes of the Brady Bunch, Here comes the Bride, Love American Style and My Two Dads. He’s had appearances in the Brady Bunch Movie, several productions of Oliver, lent his voice to The New Scooby-Doo Movies and costarred with Mickey Dolenz in The Point, a London stage Play way back in 1978. Jones also reunited with Peter Tork, and Mickey Dolenz in 1986 on MTV to celebrate their 20th anniversary and renewed popularity.
The new millennium saw Davy Jones returning to recording, releasing an album of old and new material called “Just Me” 2001. He performed at Epcot’s Flower Power Concert Series in the early 2000′s and continued to lend his talent towards children’s literature and musical accompaniments to enjoy it by: “Your Personal Penguin and Bloo Moo are examples. He also toured a circuit of “Hollywood nostalgia shows.”
At age 66 he still rode and trained horses. He was married three times and leaves a widow and four daaghters from two previous marriages. As with many people in the business, his time, his presence, warmth and personality touched a new generation that has become old and still remembers. As a result of syndication and the magic mirrors we look through I have memories of him where as otherwise I would not because I had not been born. Davy Jones contributed to what was then and what is now with laughter, wit, song and dance. It was a life well worth the affect it had on so many. If you are one of
those who was affected in the slightest take a moment to stop and write your thought down on a Funeral Note and send it off. “Like sunshine on” your shoulders it is amazing how significant some insignificant instances and people, both dead and alive have been in contributing to the quality of our time, our culture, our consciousness and our lives. “Davy was a beautiful soul.” His “spirit and soul live well in my heart among all the lovely people.” “He was the brother I never had.” So say his friends in his memory. There must be a thought you’d surely like to write down?

Dick Clark’s Last Appearance

Today time stopped, Dick Clark died of a heart attack this morning April 18, 2012 and I am still finding it hard to believe, hard for it to sink in.
Dick Clark was born in Bronxville, NY, the younger of two boys to Julia Fuller and Richard Augustus Clark. He was characterized as “an average student” at AB Davis High school where he graduated in 1947. He graduated from Syracuse University in 1951 with a degree in advertising and minor in radio.
In 1952 Dick Clark moved to Drexel Hill, PA and began working for a show called Bob Horn’s Bandstand. Horn got arrested for drunk driving and Clark permanently replaced him on July 9, 1957. ABC picked up the show and renamed it American Bandstand in 1957. Dick interviewed a young Elvis Presley on that first show. The rest to coin the cliche is history.
I remember growing up with American Bandstand in the mid 70s and late 80s as well. Little did I know the show had become America’s longest-running variety show, from 1957 to 1987. The world was a lot smaller then. American Bandstand was kind of the finale for the cartoons on Saturday morning. The world wasn’t any bigger than that. Glimpsing footage from early shows in Philadelphia it is a surprise. Clark has been credited for introducing America to “rock and roll’ and legitimizing it. His show gave national exposure to so many artists in the beginning and paved the way for what is now modern pop music’s legacy. This sounds like a Card or a Note. Is this something you’d write in acknowledgment as a Sympathy Note.

Early footage from shows in Philadelphia revealed Clark’s enthusiasm and skill at producing youth oriented television. Some of Dick’s first guests included Chubby Checker, Fats Domino, The Everly Brothers, Patty Paige, Paul Anka, Ike and Tina Turner, Simon & Garfunkel, the Supremes, the Jackson Five almost every Motown act you could mention. Dick went onto host Michael Jackson, Madonna, Air Supply, the Stray Cats, the Rolling Stones and teenage Janet Jackson, nearly everybody who was anybody. He had a big influence on my teenage years as he did countless more, for over five generations, fifty years. his shows were among the first where blacks and whites performed on the same stage and audiences were desegregated.
He gave the music of the day and its audience a collective voice that it would not have had otherwise. It continued to evolve and remains clear and present today. Where else could you see kids just like you, kids you wanted to emulate and a pop music culture so many people made a huge part of their lives play out in what you saw as your life in a culture and identity that became your own, American popular music. Yes, he was the quintessential teenager as they say. Sadly I wasn’t around in the 50s to see him do his thing with a nation of young people who were going crazy over its new found freedom and what could be typified as its national anthem, rock and roll but I was around in mine. From this perch it doesn’t look much different. It was the beginning of a tradition, a culture that only got larger and better. A perfect way to honor him would be to compose a heartfelt Sympathy Note.

During bandstand’s hey day in the 50s Dick was described as “bigger than the president.” Over the years Clark hosted the $ 10,000 Pyramid in 1973. He began the Broadcast of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin Eve. He suffered a stroke in 2004-5 and was unable to host, replaced by Ryan Seacrest who continued to host the show upon Dick’s return. The stroke left Dick less lucid, less spontaneous but still ever present, ever popular with countless members of an audience who had been there for various stages of his ride.

The music has changed a little, the priorities and themes remain the same. Dick even
remained the same for a large portion of that time. I am not thinking how drastically different the world, my life might have been if not for his contributions I am just thankful that he was here and he did what he did and he did it for so long. He will be missed. I think generations of teenagers who grew up being entertained by his work, his efforts his energy and the material he produced for them would say the same thing. If you feel at all likewise send a Sympathy Note. It would be a fitting gesture for someone who gave so much and was not thanked nearly enough.

Things are not often planned in life. Death is a cycle of life that we should all embrace. Fortunately, cards are a great way to express our deepest sympathies.

I interestingly found this as I was browsing the internet but it is so true…

“All men fear death. It’s a natural fear that consumes us all. We fear death because we feel that we haven’t loved well enough or loved at all, which ultimately are one and the same. However, when you make love with a truly great woman, one that deserves the utmost respect in this world and one that makes you feel truly powerful, that fear of death completely disappears. Because when you are sharing your body and heart with a great woman the world fades away. You two are the only ones in the entire universe. You conquer what most lesser men have never conquered before, you have conquered a great woman’s heart, the most vulnerable thing she can offer to another. Death no longer lingers in the mind. Fear no longer clouds your heart. Only passion for living, and for loving, become your sole reality. This is no easy task for it takes insurmountable courage. But remember this, for that moment when you are making love with a woman of true greatness you will feel immortal.”

As a devout Christian, Sympathy is crucial channel for expressing the trials and pain that are inflicted upon us. Whenever there is a death in the community, sympathy allows individuals to truly connect with another individual at a very high-level. At the end, you just have to hope for the best and let the healing process begin.

“At the end of 2009, a lot of dark things happened in my life. I lost my job and we had floods in Chennai. I was going through a lot of stress in my work. At that point of time, I discovered my love for music and poetry as I began to compile variations of my work. It really turned my life from doing worst things such as drugs and alcohol.

It is just one of those days when I am in my office really missing my wife and kids. The work load has here gotten so hefty that I always have to work overtime. By the time I get home, it is so difficult to spend time with my family, which in return has clashed with our family time. I think its important for married couples to have little dates or send that cute text because something so little can make just a drastic difference.

It is funny how I was just thinking that when we are young, we are so carefree. Yes we are attached to our parents but we are so engaging in exploring the world that we cherish the moment. However once we get older, everything just changes. We worry more due to many factors and get quickly attached to others. That itself is our downfall. Whether its divorce, death, or anything else, it ultimately leaves us with an imprint in our heart.

We always strive for others to love us and when we don’t have it, we blame ourselves or others for not being able to find love. In actuality, love should start within first. First love yourself, love every part of you within, love your strengths and your weaknesses and in that find that inner peace. Once you grasp inner contentment, you will become a bloomed flower that will ultimately lure all the birds and the bees to come nest in your petals. It happens naturally rather than forced. Don’t spend all your time reaching out, try reaching in and inevitably it will reach ou

Sympathy is defined as: an affinity, association, or relationship between persons or things wherein whatever affects one similarly affects the other or a mutual or parallel susceptibility or a condition brought about by it .

” Some who seek sympathy, clearly only seek to be understood.”

Writer: Henry Springs

Chicago Mourns Maggie Daley 1943 – 2011

I must admit I didn’t know much about Mrs. Maggie Daley other than she was married to the former Mayor of the City of Chicago, Richard M Daley. I knew She was being treated for some form of cancer. Maggie Daley had been diagnosed with breast cancer more than nine years ago. Her story reminds me of one of those people in your congregation or connected circle of people who you only wish you knew more about after they died. You are privy to glimpses. You see why she achieved more notoriety, a much more individual presence after she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002 and underwent chemotherapy. Maggie Daily remained “strong and positive” and was a guiding light of hope for many cancer survivors who refused to let the disease take everything that was their life away from them. A funeral is the perfect time when a Funeral Note or a will honor her and her family’s memory in the most respectable way.
Maggie Daley’s plight with cancer inspired many. She was ” seen as a woman who fought the battle with dignity and grace” never letting the illness eclipse her bright spirit. She inspired cancer patients locally and nationally. Her way of life and commitment for women to explore “as many options” as they could prompted the establishment of the Maggie Daley Center for Cancer Care Women at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. She was one of those boundless personalities that continued to give through the examples and standards she set as well as with financial contributions. Her daughter Elizabeth’s wedding was moved up a few months . She was present for it on Nov. 17 and died at 68 on Nov.24th. She was said to have been at peace with herself and the disease. A perfect thought to mention in a Funeral or Sympathy Note to let the family know you wish to send something comforting in their time of loss.
Much of Mrs. Daley’s Life was spent in the shadow of Richard M Daley. Ironically much of his formative years were spent in the shadow of Richard J Daley who held the office of Mayor of the city of Chicago from 1955 to 1976, until he died. It was amidst all of these larger than life personas and historical political logistics that the name Maggie Daley was born. It appears many Chicagoans and Americans felt she had a particular bond to their lives. She was diagnosed and battled breast Cancer and its return. She was a mother , a wife and a political activist just as she moved many mothers, husbands and families trying to make sense of a city, a country that sometimes didn’t seem to be changing for the better with a zeal for life and a knack for beating the odds. She was a voice and a figure whose actions could matter and did. She was a champion of numerous other programs: After School Matters, the Chicago Cultural Center, additional education programs and Cancer awareness programs in general. If she could let her light shine with the examples of her life you surely can with a Sympathy or Acknowledgment Note and let them be reflective of them in yours.

“Life is eternal and love is immortal; And death is only a horizon, And a horizon is
nothing save the limit of our sight.”

Writer: Rossiter W. Raymond

Whitney Houston : August 9, 1963 t0 February 11, 2012

On Saturday Feb 11 , 2012 a voice was silenced. A voice that had risen for so many monumental occasions, so effortlessly, so uniquely and so memorably was suddenly silenced and will rise no more. Whitney Elizabeth Houston was announced dead to the world this Saturday on the eve of the 54th Grammy Awards.
A void has been left, an empty space. Many have sought to emulate it and few have come close. Ms. Houston’s three octave range, sometimes coy, sometimes regal delivery of material few attempted and few achieved. Her track record of awards speaks for itself. She has been cited by Guinness “as the most-awarded female act of all time.” She won two ‘Emmy Awards, six Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, and 22 American Music Awards , what becomes a total of 415. Sadly Whitney’s light had not shone so brilliantly as of late and her death was the final chapter for the comeback that many had hoped for, her final moment in time that she and the world so richly deserved. Whitney who was born in Newark, New Jersey had been performing since age 11. She died at age 48 in her guest room at the Beverly Hilton after drowning in her bath tub from what is said to have been a mixture of prescription drugs and alcohol. It may be weeks before authorities know exactly what occurred.
Ironically fans left flowers and candles for Houston outside the Beverly Hilton after her death Saturday. Her last album was released in 2009. It sold over 305,000 copies in its first week of release. During her Good Morning America Performance in 2009 she was not the ever consummate Whitney her public remembered and complications continued to plague her world tour. Most have attributed her continued pitfalls to her drug abuse. Even after to confessing to “abusing cocaine, marijuana and pills” there was little her public held against her. She had been redeemed by her public even before she sought outside help with her problem. She had already accomplished the unachievable and the fans, her worldwide audience wanted more. They are still asking for more but she is no more..
Ms. Houston’s claim to fame were her impeccable deliveries, one of a kind performances where she did things with her voice some people still only attempt. On her last concert tour her voice became “raspy and hoarse.” She struggled with high notes. It belied what fans had watched her deliver so many times before in earlier, happier, less complicated times. Whitney Houston made her debut to the world on the Merv Griffin Show in 1983. She previously spent years touring with her mother Cissy Houston, singing back up for the likes of Lou Rawls, Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight, Roberta Flack, the Michael Zager Band and Jermaine Jackson. Those were the baby steps that led to a track record that made her a bigger star than anyone would ever imagine. Her first solo performance was at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey, ” Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah was the first song she performed publicly and ironically “Yes, Jesus loves Me” was the last song she performed with Kelly Price at a pre Grammy party the day before she died.
Ms Houston’s first number one song was “You Give Good Love”in 1985 and it was followed by (“Saving All My Love for You”; “How Will I Know”; “Greatest Love of All”; “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)”; “Didn’t We Almost Have It All”; “So Emotional” and “Where Do Broken Hearts Go”) that tallied up a string of seven consecutive number one songs. I Will Always Love You the theme from the Body Guard became her best and one of the best selling singles of all time, over 12 million worldwide. More music and movie sound tracks followed in Waiting To Exhale, The Preacher’s Wife, the albums My Love, Just Whitney, The Holiday Album and I Look To You.
Ms Houston had sold over 170 million albums and records worldwide over the course of her career. For many her voice had been eternal, just like “hopes springing high.” Throughout her career she had moved people to stop, think, hope, believe and dream. She inspired many and many inspired her. Perhaps if there is one last thought, one last action to take or sentence to write this is the best time to offer it up, your own personal condolence in a Funeral Note or Sympathy Card for the memories and the inspiration she now leaves us with. Many have been haunted by the sudden death and then the barrage of airplay and video rotation for Whitney who sings ” And I will always love you.
I will always love you. You, my darling you.” We have not even contemplated the question regarding the Whitney the world fell in love with. The Whitney for who so many of her fans grieve. Send a Funeral Note with Thoughts. You’d be surprised who might be listening.

Listening is probably the best advice and of course a card. Also just physically being there sometimes helps because touch can often soothe along with written words, where spoken words can be too much for some.

This is very good advice and it seems simple yet when you are the one who has suffered the loss, it is not as easy to remember to do these things as you think. Very helpful post thanks!

My family and I always make sure we have plenty of stationery but also we tend to always give someone who has lost someone a sympathy card because we would appreciate it, so they probably will too. It’s a very good way to keep you on your toes!