Kirsti A. Dyer

“What are we going to do, Peter?” Evelyn asked as she dished eggs and bacon on my plate. She was asking about the latest problem on the farm, the grasshoppers discovered at the edge of the corn field. She knew, as did I, that a swarm of grasshoppers could eat through our hundred-plus acres of corn in a matter of days if left unchecked, especially with the weather so hot and dry. I watched her wash her hands at the sink as I took my first bite of bacon. God she was a good-lookin’ woman.

Many people think picking out which flowers to send to a funeral is the hardest part of the process of sending a sympathy arrangement or funeral spray. But in my eighteen years as a professional florist, I've learned that it's the messages on the enclosure cards that most people freeze up on. The important thing to remember when offering condolences is that there really are no right words. Words will always be inadequate when someone is gutted by the loss of a loved one.