DEAR ABBY: My brother is my best friend. He is also an alcoholic. It runs in our family, and he has been addicted for years. His drinking has affected me in several (minor) ways over the years, but I have always taken a hands-off approach, knowing I can’t force him to get help. Well, his […]

DEAR ABBY: My dad died when I was young. He and Mom had a beautiful marriage. Mom was in a long relationship following his death and has been single for three years now. She has been spending lots of time with a family friend who lost his wife some time ago. They have known each […]

DEAR ABBY: I am a man in my 40s. All my life I wanted nothing more than to get married and have a beautiful child. I have been in two relationships — one for nine years and the other for 11 years. I suppose it’s unusual for a man to long for a child. My […]

DEAR ABBY: I recently received an online invitation to a New Year’s Eve party at the home of a dear cousin. Having not heard from her in a while, I decided to call her to express our delight at having been invited and let her know we might be able to come. (They live 350 […]

DEAR ABBY: Several years ago, my daughter got pregnant. She and her husband were overjoyed, as was I. Being a quilter, I immediately made a baby play quilt. However, before I could send it, she had a miscarriage. After that, she had another miscarriage, so I have never given her the quilt, nor have I […]

DEAR ABBY: I’m a transgender male who has grown up in an area where many people discourage such things. They view what I am as a sin and me as a sinful, satanic child. My parents are against anything different, including the LGBT community. I have already gone through top surgery, but they don’t know […]

DEAR ABBY: I am a 61-year-old widower. A year ago I faced a bleak future and expressed a desire to kill myself. My cousin in another state, whom I hadn’t seen since childhood, invited me to move in with him and his mother — my late mother’s sister. I now have plans for the future, […]

DEAR ABBY: I have a close friend who is in her mid-30s. She’s a wonderful, divorced, hardworking Christian mother of four who has finally ventured back to the dating scene. She’s currently seeing a guy who in all respects is perfect for her, she says. Unfortunately, when it comes to romance, for some reason she […]

DEAR ABBY: I’m a woman in my 50s and will be going to my high school reunion in a few months. I recently reconnected with one of my high school teachers, whom I greatly admired. (OK, I’ll admit I had a schoolgirl crush on him.) He is 10 years older, and we had a friendly […]