Trauerbrief

One piece of European culture I would like to import to North America would be the Trauerbrief (sadness-sorrow-grief letter). The black lines mean one thing and one thing only. This was the scene yesterday when I opened my mailbox. The sting of the news of a death is uncoupled from the answer to the question who. It's similar to hearing the news over the telephone when the caller forewarns you with the words "I have bad news, you'd better sit down."I need an anesthetic for such news.

My condolences to my German nephew on the death of your mother at the early age of sixty-four.