Despite going through a sad period on your life it is still common courtesy to send an acknowledgment of sympathy for the people that sent you condolences. This is specifically a nice gesture to give if you have been grieving due to a death in the family and you need to thank people for their support as well as any specific individuals who helped you with the organization and preparation of the funeral.
If it is possible, it would be a nice gesture to write a personal note yourself to all the people that went out of their way to send their sympathies. As I mentioned above, you may want to write to the people who gave some extra help in your time of need or give thanks to someone who helped organize the funeral. Of course, some of the people will be close friends of yours so you may want to write a more personal note to them or perhaps go and see them in person.
There is not a specific length of time you should wait to send thank you cards; it is really up to you. Especially in this instance, people won't be expecting you to send any acknowledgments straight away because of what you have had to deal with.
I would suggest that you start by thinking of how this message has affected you. I assume as it is a condolence message, you are going through a negative time in your life, so relate the message with your emotions. Obviously avoid babbling on about your entire current emotional state but keep it simple and convey your appreciation. If the message was given to you in a sarcastic manner during a period that would not be expected such as having a child or getting married, respond accordingly.
Otherwise, first think about the sender's connection with you. If it is in regards to a grievance think about who they are and how they have known this person. If they are someone close to you then add some emotional value and express as strongly as you can your thanks and appreciation. A common suggestion here includes stating that the family are fully grateful for their thoughts and note how the deceased would have also appreciated this. To further emphasize this, perhaps throw in some light humor relating to the relationships between them and yourself. Remember you are merely thanking them and you do not want to concern them.- How to write an acknowledgment of sympathy
If it is possible, it would be a nice gesture to write a personal note yourself to all the people that went out of their way to send their sympathies. As I mentioned above, you may want to write to the people who gave some extra help in your time of need or give thanks to someone who helped organize the funeral. Of course, some of the people will be close friends of yours so you may want to write a more personal note to them or perhaps go and see them in person.
There is not a specific length of time you should wait to send thank you cards; it is really up to you. Especially in this instance, people won't be expecting you to send any acknowledgments straight away because of what you have had to deal with.
I would suggest that you start by thinking of how this message has affected you. I assume as it is a condolence message, you are going through a negative time in your life, so relate the message with your emotions. Obviously avoid babbling on about your entire current emotional state but keep it simple and convey your appreciation. If the message was given to you in a sarcastic manner during a period that would not be expected such as having a child or getting married, respond accordingly.
- Think about who the sender is
- If you are not close with the sender
If the person is not so close avoid too much description of your emotions yet keep it sincere and gratified. This can also be said for different situations. If you have received a condolence message for something such as a loss of a job from a close colleague adjust the strength of the emotion in your reply. Think more positively about the future and convey this optimism in the response.
- Length
Replies to condolence messages should not be too lengthy especially if the sender is not so close. In this case keep it simple and to the point.