This:
Incognito wrote:Taking an alternate view, maybe the father's death has hit them
harder than you recognize. Perhaps they are in shock and consumed with
grief and so are not acting as themselves and are not associating their
behaviour with acting rudely.
I lost both parents in the fairly-recent past. The passing of a parent can affect some people very hard. I think having a JW past complicates things exponentially - especially if someone is a little 'weak'.
The loss can make you face everything you thought you knew. And feelings and insights can change daily.
There can be a crisis of belief with the survivor.
Manners and normal gratifude can easily be skipped by a someone have a great personal crisis.
JWs are not accustomed to grieving. And they usually don't understand the benefit of grieving.
And when they lose a parent, survivors are forced to confront their own mortality. An extremely sobering concept for those raised on assertion that they 'Can Live Forever in Paradise On Earth' and "Millions Now Living Will Never Die."
One of the best things that one of my friend did a few weeks after my dad passed last year was to call to say she was in the neighborhood and asked if she could come by for just a few minutes. Very impromptu. Just she and I. We had a cup of tea and chatted in my home. And I cried without worrying about disturbing other people. She just said she was thinking of me and let me talk. She listened patiently and let me cry.
It was powerful and kind and helpful to me.
Maybe don't read too much into the brusque reply about the flowers.
Maybe reach out to one of them for an informal one-on-one to show that you still really do care about them as a person. And as a friend.
