ArcaMax

Dear Annie: The real estate agent who sold me my home nine years ago periodically phones my house, asking whether I plan on selling, and offering his assistance. We have a courteous, professional relationship. I never had a problem with him or his company.

Recently, I was a guest at a large customer appreciation event sponsored by this real ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband has been dead for years. He was strong, handsome and successful, but not faithful. Women shamelessly threw themselves at him and he took advantage. He once had to send me to a doctor to be tested for STDs, and I was so angry and embarrassed that I decided the only way to keep the marriage intact for the children's sake ...Read more

Dear Annie: My brother, "John," one of nine siblings, has not spoken to our 83-year-old mother in more than 12 years. He lives less than five miles from her, drives past her house daily and never stops in. At first, he sent birthday and Christmas cards, but even that stopped. Mom continues to send cards and reach out, but receives no response.

...Read more

Dear Annie: I work full-time, am married and try to make time for my family. Twenty years ago, I had a breakdown and was hospitalized for attempted suicide. I was put on medication and saw therapists once a week. I returned to school and finished my degree in counseling.

That's the background. Now the problem: I retired at age 58 due to a ...Read more

Dear Annie: The time has come for my husband and me to downsize. It has been 10 years since we've sold a home, and something seems to have become very popular: "staging."

I have been married 50 years and in that time have sold seven homes. Four of them sold to the first people who saw them, so I feel I have some insight into how to present your...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband and I have been happily married for 24 years. It is a second marriage for both of us. I am 68, and he is 71. We are still working. Fortunately, we enjoy our professions, but my husband will not be able to retire because his former wife receives alimony for the rest of her life.

A few years ago, my husband underwent ...Read more

Dear Annie: My son is divorced and will be marrying again soon. His fiancee has never been married. I like her and am happy for both of them.

Here is the problem: When he married the first time, my husband and I paid for all of the customary groom things -- the rehearsal dinner, the bar tab, the minister, and so on. For this wedding, we told ...Read more

Dear Annie: My dad has been a mess for the past couple of years and he's sinking into a hole. Six months ago, he was laid off and his unemployment benefits just stopped. He also hit a car and left the scene. The police caught up with him and charged him with a hit and run.

Dad is a delivery driver and I worry that his driver's license will be ...Read more

Dear Annie: How do I tell my neighbors that it's annoying and frustrating to listen to their teenaged daughters shrieking and screaming as they're having fun outside?

Often, I want to go out and play with my dog, but I can't because these girls are behaving like 5-year-olds, screaming their heads off. There are things I need to do outside, but ...Read more

Dear Annie: My father has always been especially unkind to my sister, "Portia." She always has had behavioral problems, not to mention she is a bit paranoid and has a ferocious temper. Portia also drinks too much and continues to contact her abusive ex-boyfriend.

My older sister and I try to show Portia lots of love, but Dad usually deals with ...Read more

Dear Annie: After living and working for 35 years in a large city, my husband and I were able to return to our hometown to help care for our elderly parents. I reconnected with a high school friend who asked me to work part-time in her large, nationally known family business.

One of my duties is to assist my friend with media relations, ...Read more

Dear Readers: Happy Fourth of July! Here's one of our favorite pieces, originally written in 1955 as a public relations advertisement for the Norfolk and Western Railway company magazine (now the Norfolk Southern Corporation) and updated in 1976. Although some of the statistics have changed over the years, the sentiment remains the same:

"I Am ...Read more

Dear Annie: I recently broke up with my boyfriend of two years. I had been having doubts for a few months and one night he took me out for a surprise picnic. On the way to the picnic, I thought he was going to propose and the only thought I had was: "How do I tell him no?"

We had a great relationship, but I'm not sure he's the one I want to ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am gay. Two years ago, my partner of 34 years told me that my brother-in-law had touched her breasts inappropriately. I didn't believe her and we had a huge fight over it. She never confronted him or told my sister, and she has continued to socialize with my family.

Last weekend, we attended my niece's graduation, and much to my ...Read more

Dear Annie: My father passed away many years ago and my mother remarried and moved to a vacation home. However, she still owns the house we grew up in and two of my siblings now live there for free. My sister is 60, and my brother is 46. Neither has worked for years.

I talk to my mother about it all the time, telling her she is not doing them ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have two sons, both married with children, living in two different states. For several years, my older son "John" has refused to talk to his brother, "Teddy." I don't know why, except that John's wife initiated it.

My husband and my sons and their families were at a wedding a few years ago. John's wife refused to acknowledge Teddy...Read more

Dear Annie: Not long ago, I discovered that my husband of 25 years was living a completely secret life. This life included pornography, voyeurism, physical affairs, emotional affairs and flirtations with hundreds of women he met through his sales job. Many of the women thought he was going to divorce me, even though he was manipulating them to ...Read more

Dear Annie: My sisters and I have always been close, but some changes have occurred this year that threaten our relationship.

My youngest sister, "Carrie," separated from her husband of 13 years and it has been a tumultuous four months for all of us. She began dating again a month ago, and one relationship has progressed nicely. She has already...Read more

Dear Annie: I used to be one of those people who, when I heard that someone was ill or injured, would say, "If I can do anything to help, please call me." I meant it with all of my heart, but of course, no one ever called, so I wrongfully assumed they were OK. Then disaster struck our home. My husband fell down some steps and suddenly was a ...Read more

Dear Annie: My father-in-law "Ron" is having an affair. At first I was not sure, but now I have proof, and my husband has seen his father with this woman, as well. Even my in-laws have told us that they only coexist with one another. I am not sure if my husband's mother knows of the affair. She might.

Since we saw my father-in-law with this ...Read more