I’ve come down with a bad cold and, in the interest of not making others sick, I plan not to attend unless I recover far faster than expected.

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“I am so sorry that I won’t be able to attend, but I’m afraid I have a dreadful cold and I don’t want anyone to catch it,” you might say. It goes without saying, Miss Manners hopes, that you avoid ...

it assures those who care that their appreciation of the deceased and sympathy for the bereaved was meaningful.

In today's Miss Manners column, advice columnist Judith Martin responds to acknowledging condolence letters while grieving.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I was taught by my mother and grandmother, who practiced what they preached, that condolence letters are ...

I was taught by my mother and grandmother, who practiced what they preached, that condolence letters should be acknowledged.

I have found that writing acknowledgment letters has been very helpful to me as I have coped with the grief of losing friends or family members.

Should I just face the fact that most people simply don’t write acknowledgments anymore? I’d like to tell them that doing so ...

Their practice was to answer every condolence letter with a return letter. It could be long or short, but at the very least it should express gratitude for the sender’s thoughtfulness.

Their practice was to answer every condolence letter with a return letter. It could be long or short, but at the very least it should express gratitude for the sender's thoughtfulness. I have ...