Posts Tagged: "funeral"

What Gift Makes Sense for Someone Who Recently Passed Away?

Princess Diana - July 1, 2014 - Condolence

My co-worker Elise is one-of-a-kind. Any time she says something, I’m either cracking up laughing or shocked (but trying my hardest not to show it.)

Of all the crazy stories she has told me, the one I most remember is when she straight up quit her job because they wouldn’t let her off work to go to the Oklahoma State Fair.

I’m thinking to myself, “And she works in human resources…” That’s Elise in a nutshell for you though. A total hoot! And I’m lucky to work with someone who regularly livens up our office!

The other day she told made me something that made me say “Whaaat?” one second and “That’s a thoughtful gift! I’ll blog about it!” the next.

What Do You Get Your Best Friend When Her Mother Dies? | Condolence Gift

Princess Diana - March 13, 2014 - Condolence

My best friend Leslie’s mother died two years ago. Not just died – but died unexpectedly.

No last goodbye.

No final “I love you.”

It sucked, it was unfair, and I felt her pain. My father was murdered when I was seven years old and we lived in the Philippines. When I said goodbye to my mother to move to the United States with my grandparents, I didn’t know she would die of cancer before I had the chance to ever see her again.

condolence gift idea for best friend when mother dies

Click on the photo to see it enlarged

I’ve known Leslie since the fourth grade and her mother, Tina, loved me like her own daughter. She clothed me; she fed me; she came to my school activities.

She taught me about selfless giving and so many other things about life… (In junior high, she bought Leslie and I a copy of Playgirl. That sure answered a lot of our teenage girl questions!)

I wanted Leslie to know I shared her loss because I loved Tina too. I also wanted to show Leslie that her mother lives on through her because they share many of the same qualities. More than anything, both of them were known to go the distance (like Timbuktu far) in helping anyone in need.

But what condolence gift would convey my emotions and sentiments? Flowers weren’t going to do the job.