ArcaMax

You can commune with God-as-you-perceive-him while you're out walking or riding in a car -- anytime the need surfaces. Out of that fundamental craving for connection comes a deeper hunger to go beyond known boundaries and reach a level higher than human.

That hunger, which I call churchness, draws some people toward one another, and their ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have been married for 22 years to a good man. He is faithful, hardworking and, by most people's standards, a wonderful husband. He has never given me any reason to doubt his loyalty, and he has always taken his responsibilities seriously. From the outside, we look like a solid, dependable couple. We raised our children together, ...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm having a problem that feels small, but it's starting to make me dread seeing someone I care about.

One of my closest friends has gotten into the habit of "correcting" me in public. If I tell a story, she interrupts to adjust a detail. If I mention a restaurant, she jumps in with the exact neighborhood and the chef's name. If I...Read more

Dear Annie: I never imagined I'd be packing school lunches again at 62.

My husband, "Tom," and I raised our children, worked hard and finally reached that stage where life felt calmer. We downsized, paid off most of what we owed and talked about traveling, volunteering and enjoying a quieter home. Then everything changed.

Last year, our ...Read more

Different silences have built modern America, and we don't like to talk about them. They don't make it into the speeches or even some of the history books. They are the parts that get cut, softened, or turned into something easier to admire.

When we talk about labor rights, we thought we knew the story. Then we learned what Dolores Huerta ...Read more

Dear Annie: I need your advice before I lose my mind.

My husband and I moved into what we thought was our dream home last spring. The street is lovely, the neighbors are friendly, and the yard is just big enough for my tomato plants and a little peace and quiet. The problem is the man next door is a drummer. Not a "taps lightly on a practice ...Read more

Dear Annie: I live with my almost-30-year-old daughter. She acquired our place through a lawsuit settlement.

She talks to and treats me like I'm a child and tries to control my life. She often reminds me: "This is my place. I run things." I could go on and on, but the bottom line is that she constantly makes me feel uneasy in what's supposed ...Read more

Dear Annie: Three months ago, I ended a two-year relationship with my boyfriend. We lived together in my apartment. The breakup was painful and overdue. I've blocked his number and have no interest in reopening that chapter.

The problem is that his mail is still arriving here. Not just catalogs, but things that look important -- a bank ...Read more

Dear Annie: My younger sister is getting married this fall. I'm happy for her. The problem is her fiance.

At family dinners he makes little digs at her -- jokes about her cooking, her spending, even her weight. When she laughs uncomfortably, he says, "Relax, you're too sensitive." Last Sunday, he teased her about "finally locking him down ...Read more

The recent wildfires in Northern California were a dramatic testament to the need for community, proving that all of us are -- without question -- our brother's keeper. And what better population to energize compassion than the unmarried, sandwiched between generations (usually with fewer obligations) and freer to use their time and energy for ...Read more