When someone’s grieving, you don’t need perfect words. “I’m here” and showing up are enough.

Grief does not need to be explained to the person inside it, and the right sentence does not exist. What helps is the plain fact that someone stayed nearby without needing anything from them. Most people go quiet around loss because they are afraid of saying it wrong, and the silence lands harder than any clumsy words would.

If someone you know is grieving, say that you are thinking of them and leave it there. Come back next week, and the week after, when the crowd has thinned out. Presence is the part that is remembered.