ArcaMax

DEAR ABBY: The first Christmas my future husband and I were dating, he gave me an angel ring. I asked him to take me to a bar where my best friend worked so I could show it to her. When I showed it to her, she told me her cancer had come back. I gave her the ring and told her to hang onto it, hoping it would give her the strength to fight ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I'm a high school teacher facing a challenging situation with one of my students, and I'm at a loss for how to improve our relationship. Despite my best efforts to make a positive and supportive classroom environment, it seems like this particular student and I just can't seem to see eye to eye. Our interactions are often tense, ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: In January, I had the pleasure of attending two holiday parties. Both events were potlucks, to which I gladly contributed dishes. The hosts provided beverages like water, tea and coffee. The parties were well-attended, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.

However, a few days after each gathering, I received a message from...Read more

Dear Annie: I notice many readers have problems and anxieties. Maybe something my mother taught me will help them.

She lost two husbands to illness and had a chronic illness herself. We almost lost my brother on the same day my dad died. She raised three boys in a small town taking any job available. Through all these hard times, she always ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: My parents have been divorced for 30 years. It was an unpleasant divorce because Dad had an affair with a woman he worked with and married her soon after. Mom was devastated. She and Dad were high school sweethearts.

Both have moved on from this -- sort of. Dad has since divorced, remarried and divorced again. He's now with a woman ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I am a 25-year-old living in an expensive city in the United States. I've always been frugal, but lately, this mindset has led me down a troubling path. I've found myself giving in to the temptation to steal items from stores rather than purchase them. At first, it seemed like a harmless way to save a few dollars, but now I can't...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I was leaving the gym when I saw someone wearing a T-shirt that infuriated me. It read, in bold letters, "Eat the Fragile."

This made my blood boil, particularly in today's climate, as there are so many groups targeted with hateful, inflammatory slogans. I thought about the elderly, the disabled, the minority groups that deal...Read more

Dear Annie: I have let myself get involved with a significantly younger guy. To make matters worse, I'm married. In my defense, before I even started talking to this other guy, my husband and I had come to a place in our marriage where we were more like roommates than husband and wife. We didn't even share the same bedroom (which was his ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I have a 25-year-old niece, "Meadow," who embraces the hippie lifestyle. She's kind and sweet and loves everyone. She has also opposed "the Establishment." She's heavily tattooed and has several facial piercings and thick underarm hair.

My son is the complete opposite. He is in the business world and is very professional in his ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: I'm a 30-year-old woman who's fallen hard for a man I feel doesn't truly love me. I've been with my partner for five years now, and while I love him dearly, I can't shake the feeling that he doesn't appreciate everything I do for us as a couple. I find myself going above and beyond to make our relationship work -- from planning ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I have a dear friend who lived in the same city I lived in for many years. Several years ago, I moved to the other side of the continent, and she now visits me once a year for seven to 10 days.

To my surprise, instead of sleeping in the bed in the guest room, she opts for the thick Persian rug on the floor. I only realized ...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm a mom and have been married for nearly six years. But for the past few years, my husband and I have not been on the same path. We can't communicate without fighting, bickering, arguing, etc. Our sex life has been nonexistent. And I have tried talking and suggesting that we do more things together. I have even tried losing weight ...Read more

DEAR ABBY: I am on a limited income. My younger sister, "Tara," is a medical professional with disposable income she spends on frivolous things. I have one son, age 13; she has three children, ages 14, 10 and 3. Tara and I live a few miles apart; our mother lives 60 miles away. My mother keeps my sister's kids every other week. She rarely keeps ...Read more

Let's say -- for argument's sake -- you're currently in a romantic relationship but a bit (or more than a bit) unsure about continuing it into the new year. You two made it through the holidays in survival mode, but now the togetherness is running on empty, at times not at all the "real thing" you dream of. Yet there's still the tug of the ...Read more

DEAR HARRIETTE: This week, I invited one of my friends over to my apartment to have dinner. We were having a great time. As the night came to an end and she was walking out, I spotted a ring on her finger that looked familiar. I told her that I have a ring that looks just like that, and I asked if I could see it up close. I had accidentally ...Read more