Thinking of You eCard

Say you are thinking of them and resist the urge to fix anything. Two or three sentences is plenty: that they are on your mind, that you are not expecting a reply, and one concrete offer if you have one.

Cards for hard times fail by trying too hard. Brevity reads as respect, not indifference.

Say exactly that. "I do not know the right thing to say, but I am thinking of you" is honest and lands far better than a borrowed phrase.

People in difficulty can tell the difference between someone reaching for a script and someone being straight with them, and they are grateful for the second.

Avoid silver linings, comparisons, and anything beginning "at least". Telling someone things happen for a reason, that it could be worse, or that you know exactly how they feel puts them in the position of managing your framing of their situation.

Stay with them where they are instead.

Offer something specific, or do not offer at all. "Let me know if you need anything" places the work on the person least able to do it.

"I will drop food round on Thursday unless you would rather I did not" is genuinely useful. One concrete offer beats an open-ended one every time.

Yes, and it may be better. You do not need to know what is happening to say someone is on your mind, and a card that does not ask for information is much easier to receive than one that does.

Keep it general and warm, and let them share more only if they want to.

More than once, if the difficulty is ongoing. Support tends to arrive in a wave and then stop, while the hardest stretch is often weeks later when everyone has moved on.

A second card a month after the first is one of the more meaningful things you can send.