Q DEAR MISS MANNERS: What is the acceptable social response when an immediate family member of the deceased approaches you at a funeral and says, “Thank you for coming”?

Do you leave it simple and say, “You’re welcome,” or something a little more heartfelt like, “This is where I want to be, supporting you and your family”?

A GENTLE READER: But if you make that heartfelt statement, they will have to thank you all over again, and you’ll be back with that awkward “You’re welcome.”

Supporting the bereaved is only part of the reason for attending a funeral. Paying respects to the person who died is the other part, and the family is thanking you for that. Miss Manners recommends that, having offered your condolences, you then reply with a statement of how highly you thought of that person.

© 2012 Universal Uclick 9/19

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/09/18/3819816/miss-manners-invitation-inquiry.html#storylink=cpy