The following are suggestions from families who have received thoughtful gifts that helped them cope.

• Our family greatly appreciated the gift of restaurant gift cards when we were going through a crisis.  No one felt like cooking, and going to a restaurant got us “up” and “out.”
• Cook a dinner for my family.  (Bring the food in disposable containers or include your name on the returnable containers.)
• Bake homemade cookies or brownies, these provided a sweet treat for us and those who came to visit us.
• Homemade chicken soup has been known as cure for everything and has a wonderful way of making the recipient feel comforted.
• Receiving a note or card is like being hugged.  Neither the eloquence of the words nor the elegance of the stationary is as significant as the care expressed.
• I especially valued those sympathy cards which contained some of the sender’s personal thoughts:  words remembering something that they admired about my deceased loved one and personal caring prayers.  These personal notes continue to bring me quiet joy and courage every time that I read them.
• Sending flowers, they are a wonderful gesture of caring.
• Share with me some of your favorite music on CD.
• Create a basket of beauty or grooming products for me.  I received one that included lotions to sooth my parched skin, perfume, special shampoo, nail polish in a new color.
• During a crisis, a friend gave me a small cross to remind me of God’s constant presence.  Every day that cross, which either sets on my desk or is carried in my pocket, continues to remind me of God’s love.