ArcaMax

Dear Annie: I recently found a pair of earrings missing from my jewelry box. These earrings had belonged to my mother. My sister-in-law spoke of wanting them and felt (for some unknown reason that she herself could not express) that she deserved them. I have no proof that she took them. I don't even know how long they've been missing.

What ...Read more

Dear Annie: My son recently got married. My new daughter-in-law used to dress so cute. She always had makeup on and her hair done. But nowadays, she dresses like a slob. There are days I swear she doesn't brush her hair. She's told me herself that her mom has said to her, "What's wrong with you? Since you got married, you've let yourself go," ...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm 26 and sharing an apartment with two roommates who make my home life miserable. There's constant noise, passive-aggressive notes and one of them regularly invites people over late on weeknights (plus, they usually make dinner without cleaning up). I work long hours and need a peaceful home to recharge. I'd do anything to come ...Read more

Dear Annie: I am 22 and working at my first job out of college. My salary is low and just covers my rent, car payments and basic living expenses. I have no savings yet.

Recently, my neighbor, whom I know only to wave at, asked me to feed her fish while she went out of town. I agreed, and she took me into her apartment where she showed me her ...Read more

From one of my favorite books, "Risking," by David Viscott, here are some truths that resonate today as powerfully (maybe even more so) as they did when they were first published. Please give each one the time it deserves, and let me know your thoughts about them.

--For a relationship to work, both partners must have all the freedom, privacy ...Read more

Dear Annie: My best friend has become impossible to make plans with. She says yes to everything, then cancels at the last minute with a vague excuse. Sometimes she says she is "too tired," other times she says work got crazy, and once she forgot completely until I texted from the restaurant asking if she was on her way. The worst was when I saw ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband recently bought an old classic car, the kind he has dreamed about since he was 17. He made the purchase after seeing one roaring down Main Street with the top down. It is shiny, loud, impractical and, according to him, "an investment." According to me, it is a very expensive midlife crisis with chrome bumpers.

He found ...Read more

Dear Annie: I recently cleaned out my mother's house after she moved into assisted living, and I thought the hardest part would be the boxes. I was wrong. The hardest part was realizing that every drawer held a memory, and every memory came with a decision.

There were birthday cards she had saved from 1987, chipped coffee mugs from family ...Read more

I consumed a lot of horror movies during my teen years. For a couple of my friends, my room became the hub where we watched the standard fare of slashers, munched on overly processed snacks, and critiqued the characters' decisions as they ran for their lives. We, of course, would make better, smarter decisions. Ah, to know more as a teenager.

...Read more

Dear Annie: Every year, around Memorial Day, I tell myself this will be the summer we slow down. I picture lazy mornings, dinners outside, long walks after sunset and maybe even reading a book that is not interrupted every three minutes.

Then somehow, by the second week of June, my calendar looks like it was planned by a cruise director with ...Read more