Grief Etiquette

Today is the visitation day at the funeral home for my dad. It is strange how people are treating me since my father passed away. And I suppose I have been guilty of the same things. When I see people in a group setting, they tend to stare at me. While some will talk, maybe only one out of ten will say anything about my dad's passing. Others will just stare in silence. We have not done a good job of teaching people how to react when someone loses a loved one. Our parents and grandparents knew and acted well. I know I have several readers of my blog and usually not many comments, but I see that no one has commented. We don't see the "elephant in the room," meaning we ignore the obvious hoping it will soon go away, and we will not have to deal with it. I have learned much from this experience. I have learned that I should call the grieving family, that my call will NOT be a bother. I could go on and on, and I don't mean to scold, just to point out an obvious lesson that I have learned.