As she is on the phone and breaksdown as the bad news that pour down from almost all directions.... In this situation, What do you say to someone you had personally made aware that there might not be an afterlife after all? What words will soothe a full frontal confrontation with mortality?
One of the things I appreciate most about my new life is the ability to really "feel" death. When bad things happen, I feel sorrow and I feel grief. Consider that this is a good thing. These are real feelings that are a part of human existence. They are important feelings.
The JWs denial of death and reliance on sham beliefs of resurrection/everlasting life to avoid it rob them of their humanity. How many times have you heard a JW, when learning of someone's death, callously say, "Oh, but now they have the hope of the resurrection?"
These are people who don't confront death... ever! These are people who live their lives without really feeling alive, because they think they and every loved one they ever lost will live forever in some future paradise. They permanently postpone the real feelings that we need to experience about life... and death... in order to fully appreciate our life and the life and loss of those who have died.
What words will soothe a full frontal confrontation with mortality? For one, just be there. These are feelings she must work through. Commiserate with stories of your own losses, but also provide stories of the persons you lost. Tell her about their quirks, funny anecdotes, and accomplishments. Help her to appreciate and remember the people she lost as valuable and treasured lives that enriched her life.
Tammy