| What do you do for a friend when they have | | | | 2.) Shovel the driveway |
| suffered a loss? What do you do for them when | | | | 3.) Weed the garden |
| someone dies in their family? Recently a young | | | | 4.) Take the dog for a walk |
| woman who had lost her grandfather wanted to | | | | 5.) Take the children for a few hours to |
| give a gift to her grandmother. She wondered | | | | somewhere fun |
| what it might be. I suggested to her not to give | | | | 6.) Volunteer to help compile pictures for the |
| a gift that she had bought, but instead to offer | | | | photo display at the funeral or memorial service |
| something of herself to her grandmother. | | | | 7.) Be a driver: pick up folks from the airport, |
| I learned this lesson several years ago when a | | | | drive relatives to the funeral or memorial service |
| friend told me about a solution that she had found | | | | 8.) Deliver and pick up any dry cleaning needed to |
| for helping out people who had just suffered a | | | | be done for wearing to the funeral or memorial |
| loss in their family. She had been searching for | | | | service |
| what for the family when someone dies and had | | | | 9.) Take back due library books |
| found that simply saying "Is there anything I can | | | | 10.) Vacuum and dust the house |
| do to help?" had always resulted in a "No, I'm | | | | When my mom died, several of my friends |
| OK." My friend finally came up with a solution. | | | | arrived at the memorial service and said, "We're |
| She went over to the family's house and polished | | | | here to help out." And they made sure that |
| all of their shoes so they were ready for the | | | | everyone had tea and coffee and food at the |
| funeral. It was appreciated and something | | | | reception afterwards. To be honest, I'm not |
| substantial that she could do. She discovered it | | | | sure what they did; I just know that it freed me |
| was a good gift and continued polishing shoes | | | | up to talk to the people who had come to give |
| whenever she had a grieving friend or relative. | | | | their respects. I was very appreciative of my |
| Now, most of our shoes these days don't need | | | | friends' presence and help. |
| polishing. But I think that example is such a good | | | | There isn't an age limitation on this either. You |
| one of what to do when someone dies. I | | | | can be 7 years old or 87. My mother-in-law is |
| started thinking about what a person could do for | | | | turning 90 this year. She still drives the "old |
| the surviving relatives. Of course the most | | | | folks" to church every Sunday. Her other job at |
| common one and a very important one in my | | | | her church when someone dies is to make |
| mind, is taking food (a casserole, cookies etc) to | | | | cookies and squares for the funerals and |
| the family home. But what else can you do? | | | | memorial services that take place there. |
| 1.) Mow the lawn | | | | |