ArcaMax

Dear Annie: My fiance and I want to go back to the way we were, but it is more of a struggle for me than for him. We are planning to get an apartment together, but it is hard for me to be around him without getting upset. I have been going through a lot lately, and finding out that my fiance was lying to me was one of the worst things that has...Read more

Dear Readers: Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Please enjoy the below expertise form one of the most important speeches in history.

"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.'

"I have a dream that one day on the ...Read more

Dear Annie: I recently had to go to a big-box store to purchase something that I couldn't get online. The checkout lines on the grocery side of the store were six people deep, but if you looked beyond, to the other side of the store, there were no lines. I've been trying to teach family and friends this lesson -- to look beyond themselves -- ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have a beautiful daughter in her mid-20s. She is attractive, bright, friendly and hardworking. She has so much going for her. She does have a peculiar bad habit: She picks her nose in public. It's not just a quick pick when no one is looking. This is a thorough deep cleaning without a tissue.

I have tried to talk to her about this...Read more

Dear Annie: I am a 36-year-old man living with my father. I also have autism, and because of this, I have had difficulty in dating women.

For a few years, I was on the dating website called I Love Your Accent (I had been on 10 other sites prior to that), which matches American and British singles, but nothing happened.

Then, last fall, I ...Read more

Dear Annie: There are three sisters in my family. Two of us are childless. Our other sister now has seven grandchildren. Every Christmas and birthday, my other childless sister and I send a check to each grandniece and grandnephew. We never expect any gifts in return, but it would be nice to receive a text message or an email acknowledging our ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am an attractive and well-educated divorced woman. Recently, a man whom I dated several years ago contacted me. We are both 70. Our reunion was great. We have been getting along very well and communicating daily ever since. We live across the country from each other. He invited me to his home, where I was his guest for three weeks....Read more

Dear Annie: My youngest daughter, "Marta," is beautiful and caring but intellectually challenged. I have always encouraged all my kids to do what makes them happy, and she is no different. A couple of years ago, she met a wonderful man through mutual friends, "Brian." After dating for almost a year, they married last fall. We could not ask for ...Read more

Dear Annie: About six months ago, my boyfriend, "Jordan," relocated to another state for work. We've talked about my eventually moving there, too, so we could be together, but we've held off making firm plans. He says he needs more time to settle in to life there. He also says he wants to be positive he sees himself at this job long term before ...Read more

Dear Annie: My sister is 75 years old. She is a hoarder. She has lived at home her whole life and started accumulating junk soon after my dad died 10 years ago. If something comes into the house, it isn't going out, as it is with most hoarders. So you can imagine what an appalling situation it has become.

My sister took care of my mom, who was ...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm a 39-year-old mom of four. My husband recently passed away, in April of this year.

His family was never very kind to me when he was alive, and they haven't changed now that he's gone. I've been dealing with their judgment and hostility. They find any little thing they can to criticize me and gossip about me. And I'm just ...Read more

Dear Annie: My boyfriend and I have been together for five years. This last year, there has been no physical intimacy between us at all. We vibe very well in our relationship being partners in a small business. He says he is still attracted to me and keeps on blaming our busy work lives for lack of sex. But we are usually home before 10 p.m. ...Read more

Dear Annie: My wife and I have a close friend whom, in non-pandemic times, we invited over for dinner or cocktails at least once or twice a week. We've spent many holidays together over the last 10 or so years. We love her like a sister.

The only problem is she never brings anything to our house, and I mean never. She also has never invited ...Read more

Dear Annie: My fiancee and I have been together for six years, and I am having a hard time understanding where I fit in her life. She claims to love me, but lately, her actions just don't say that. She puts everyone ahead of me. Last Christmas, we went to her mom's on the other side of the country and her mom told her she had to introduce me ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have been with my husband for almost nine years. We have been married for three years. His family was nice to me before the wedding, but after, they became aloof. His daughter is horrible. She has NO respect, not even for my husband.

My husband has a lot of money -- a few million dollars. He has never told me this, but his ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband and I are in our early 60s and have been married for eight years. I have four adult children and 11 grandchildren, while he has one son and two grandsons. My children are scattered across the country, while his son lives in the same small town as us.

Yesterday, "Derek" texted my husband to ask about our plans for ...Read more

Dear Annie: I've noticed in the past several months that my 15-year-old daughter has been steadily gaining weight. I have struggled with my weight most of my adult life and absolutely do not want my daughter to have the insecurities and low self-esteem that I have.

She is not active at all, and remote learning isn't helping the situation. I ...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm 76 years old and need to know if I'm behind the times where etiquette is concerned. I have never been married and have not been around "young folks" a lot, so maybe I'm just behind the times.

My only niece, "Marji," a 40-year-old, invited me to Thanksgiving dinner at her home. There would be only us and her daughter, whom I'll...Read more

Dear Annie: Like so many others, I lost my old job because of COVID-19. I was a waitress in a small restaurant and bar. Now, I work in a yarn mill. I am not unfriendly with my co-workers, but don't socialize with them, as we have very little in common. There is a former co-worker, who now is having modest success musically. She is playing in ...Read more

Dear Annie: Sometimes, in the course of conversation with someone who has an accent, I'll find myself mimicking their speech. It's entirely unintentional and embarrassing, and I'm sure it irritates the other person. I've had to explain multiple times to people of varying vernaculars that I'm not mocking them. How do I defuse awkward situations...Read more