ArcaMax

Dear Readers: Wishing you and your families a very happy Easter and Passover. Spring is a time to get outdoors and play. It is a time for new beginnings and fresh starts. It is a time when the flowers begin to bloom and kittens are born. Below are some of my favorite poems about spring and joy and the innocence and beauty of childhood.

"Spring"...Read more

Dear Annie: My daughter-in-law and I have never had a good relationship, but we tolerate each other because of my son.

I have tried to be a good mother-in-law. I never visit unannounced. When my DIL had surgery for breast cancer, I took her to her appointments, and I was even the one to go with her when she rang the bell at the end of her ...Read more

Dear Annie: My best friend, "Claire," has been dating her boyfriend, "Jay," for three years. I really liked him when they first started dating, but lately, she's been confiding in me about some things that are making me a little nervous. For example: Jay goes through her phone, gets angry when she spends time with friends and even will ...Read more

Dear Annie: My best friend, "Sarah," and I have been close since college, but lately, our friendship feels one-sided. She's going through a rough time; she broke up with her boyfriend, she hates her job and she's been struggling with anxiety. I've been there for her every step of the way, listening to her vent, offering advice and checking in ...Read more

Admit it. You've been bowled over by the good looks and smooth manner of someone who shall remain nameless. Who among us hasn't been?! But the last time your eyes locked with his/hers, it just wasn't the same celebration; sparks refused to fly. And there you were, in the middle of a perfectly scrumptious fantasy, when that old devil Reality came...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm struggling with something at work that's starting to affect not just my motivation but also my self-worth.

My boss has taken credit for my work on several occasions. These aren't minor tasks; I'm talking about full-scale projects I've managed from start to finish, ideas I've brainstormed and developed, and presentations I've ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have a close friend I care about a lot, but there's something that's starting to get under my skin -- and I'm not sure if I should say something or let it slide.

Whenever we go out -- whether it's lunch, drinks or concerts -- we usually agree to split the cost. But somehow, I always end up paying more. She's "forgotten her ...Read more

Dear Annie: My husband hasn't heard a word from his mother in over 20 years -- not even after the deaths of two of her sons. She's now 94, and we recently heard she's still alive, still isolated, and still unwilling to speak to him or anyone else in the family.

It breaks my heart. I remember the early years of our marriage -- sending her ...Read more

I waited to return her call until I had all the information I could get. Unfortunately, the ultimate why for the destruction of the trees was beyond my reach.

She left a message in a resigned panic. She couldn't stop those cutting down the old mesquite trees, even though she tried to reach out to the postmaster at two of the post offices in ...Read more

Dear Annie: My mom and I read your column every day, and we always find your advice thoughtful and compassionate. Lately, I've been thinking about something I witnessed years ago while working in a shelter for abused women. It's stayed with me -- the way emotional abuse often begins so subtly, with little comments that chip away at someone's ...Read more