When a friend shares bad news, a clumsy reply beats the perfect one you never send.

The wait for the right words is how most people end up sending nothing. Then the silence becomes its own message, and by the time you have the good sentence, several days have passed and you feel too late to say anything at all. An awkward message on the day is received as care. The clumsiness barely registers next to the fact of it arriving.

Send something within the day, even if it is plainly inadequate. Being sorry and not knowing what to say is a complete message. Then do a second small thing later in the week, because the second one is the part people remember.