Heres a thing - and its got a personal perspective. When people die, people think of their family first and then friends and then colleagues.

I mentioned our 101 year old friend Marjory died recently, before Xmas. Her family came up and nephews paid their respects. Theyd maybe seen her once in two years. Marjory had a dear friend, Shirley, whos lost her husband a year ago and saw Marjory two or three times a week for tea and a piece of cake and spend an hour or two gossiping. Shirley was bereft. Same goes with colleagues - you work with someone day in day out for years and you build a relationship with them that can be deep. Maybe you go separate ways at weekends and after work, but youre with them 40 hours a week and youre more than colleagues - youre entwined.

And colleagues dont usually get the messages of condolences that they often need and deserve.

Or friends.

So here is a word of deep empathy and sympathy for friends and colleagues who have lost someone close.