Time is the only hope and refuge for all of us

How to write to a grieving friend

Geraldine Jewsbury (Image: Columbia University, Carlyle Papers)

Few letters are more daunting to write than one of consolation, especially when the recipient is steeped in the unfathomable grief of losing a parent. In May of 1842, English novelist Geraldine Jewsbury found herself in this exact position when friend and fellow author Jane Carlyle lost her …