her mother died 2 weeks ago.
I told her I’m sorry but after thinking about what to say I couldn’t come with anything better than repeating sorry again. She then told me and another coworker how she died.
I want to show her that I care but I don’t want her mother’s death to become the elephant in the room each time we talk.
This is not romantic in any way.
The best way to show her that you (platonically) care about her in this difficult time is to check in with her - especially a couple of weeks after the funeral. That’s when most people who are trying to help her mentally move on. Not that they don’t care, just that everyone has a life to lead. But that’s the period when the bereaved can feel most lonely and struggle a lot.
Just a simple “I hope you’re doing okay” and “let me know if you want to talk about it” will mean the world.
Yeah, and that’s also the time that people who are grieving are likely to feel like they should be moving on, but that’s rarely the case. Having someone else acknowledge that it’s still ok if it’s still a difficult time can be really validating.
I recently reached out to a coworker whose dog died and said, “I’ve been thinking about you and [Dog’s name]. I hope you’re finding moments of comfort and are doing as well as you can. I just wanted you to know you’re in my thoughts.”
I recently lost my cat and know when a couple people reached out with similar comments it meant a lot.
I hope you are doing as well as you can be. Losing a beloved pet is not easy.