ArcaMax

Dear Annie: I met a woman, "Alice," on a dating site. We have been emailing each other for 27 months. We have never met; she lives in Seattle, and I live outside of Atlanta. We are both 70 years old.

I don't quite understand our relationship. We seem to get along really well, and she has my phone number but won't give me hers. I've asked for ...Read more

Dear Annie: I felt something was wrong with my closest friend for a while. She was my maid of honor but didn't have a shower for me. She also showed up at the wedding venue fully dressed and made up, when we were supposed to get ready together.

Weeks later, I said it was hurtful that no one had a shower for me. I asked her how she would feel ...Read more

Dear Readers: Hope you are all having a lovely fall. Please see below some poems that help embrace the season.

"The Wild Swans at Coole" by William Butler Yeats

"The trees are in their autumn beauty, / The woodland paths are dry, / Under the October twilight the water / Mirrors a still sky; / Upon the brimming water among the stones / Are ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have a daughter who hasn't spoken to me for almost 20 years, though she still maintains contact with her father. My husband and I have been married for 40 years, but our relationship has been extremely difficult for me. I've felt trapped in the marriage because I worked as an aide in a classroom, earning about $20,000 a year, and...Read more

Dear Annie: I read your column every day, and I read with great interest the letter from the wife whose husband had an affair 20 years earlier. She was bitter that none of her friends told her about it.

I found myself in a similar situation, only I was the friend, and I DID tell her that her husband was cheating on her. This was 35 years ago.

...Read more

Dear Annie: I just read today's letter from "Help," and it deeply resonated with my own experiences. Like "Help," I had a narcissistic mother and spent years struggling to reconcile my relationship with her while searching for my own happiness and balance.

Living with someone who has narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is extremely ...Read more

Dear Annie: My elderly mom wants to move from her house in the country to a smaller home in town. This is her idea, and she's already looking for a house. However, she has a house, a garage and a barn full of stuff. I estimate that it will take us about six months to sort through, dispose of, donate, etc., the excess stuff if we are allowed ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have a friend I'll call "Scott." We have known each other for 15 years or so and have been retired for the last few years. He enjoyed working before he retired due to a plant closure.

Now Scott drinks from 8 a.m. until 2 or so in the afternoon. He is in good spirits in the morning but is an absolutely depressed person by 2. He ...Read more

Dear Annie: When I was 17 years old, I met a lovely guy here in Canada. We met through a mutual acquaintance. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, we went our separate ways.

Then, in 1992, I moved to Portugal. I was 20 years old. He was 25. He was in Portugal on vacation in 1993 and looked me up. He was living in Germany at the ...Read more

Dear Annie: I've been in a long-distance relationship with my girlfriend for almost a year and a half. While it's been good for the most part, I feel like it might be time to call it quits. We video chat twice a week and text maybe twice a day, but it's not enough for me anymore. I brought this up early in our relationship, but she told me ...Read more

Dear Annie: For the past four years, my wife and I have barely spoken. We don't share anything or do anything together anymore. The only connection I have left is driving my daughter to school. I've tried everything to fix things between us, but nothing seems to work. Now divorce feels like the only option. But when I think about my daughter's...Read more

Dear Annie: I am a sister who cut ties with a sibling, and I'd like to offer my perspective on why. Sometimes, family members who choose to disengage have valid reasons for doing so.

In my case, my sister has spent her life using and manipulating others. Her world is full of drama, and she constantly expects our family to rescue her from ...Read more

Dear Readers: I was so touched by all of the feedback from military families. Thank you for your service, and thank you for sharing some of the responses that you have felt most comfortable with. Below are some examples.

Dear Annie: I absolutely loved your response to "Wondering Vet." As a former military member myself, I also found it ...Read more

Dear Annie: My elderly mother bought a house on the West Coast to be near my younger brother and me after my father passed away a few years ago. She had always relied on my father to handle finances and major life decisions, so it's been a difficult adjustment for her to take on these responsibilities herself. Even though she purchased the new...Read more

Dear Annie: I am, I confess, guilty of ghosting a friend. I used to talk to her daily and had meals with her and her child. I explained to her how we communicated differently, and she just never "got it." After she began sending TikTok videos, I just gave up. While I don't want to hurt her feelings, communicating with her makes me anxious. I ...Read more

Dear Annie: I'm 23 years old and had been dating my first girlfriend, "Sara," also 23, for almost two years before we broke up just a few weeks ago. Over time, I'd noticed several inconsistencies in her stories, which my family also picked up on. For example, she claimed she was punched and knocked down at a store but showed no bruises or ...Read more

Dear Annie: I have read the letters from the grandmothers who are feeling left out. I am in the same situation. My mother always told me that when your son marries, he will be more connected with the wife's family. I have found that it is true. They have not forgotten us. We get our share of holidays and are acknowledged on birthdays, ...Read more

Dear Annie: A relationship I had for two and a half years has recently ended. I met a woman, "Marie," through mutual friends, and we quickly became best friends, eventually turning romantic. She was the first woman I ever dated, and while our relationship had its ups and downs, the challenges were unique. She had rare health problems and a ...Read more

Dear Annie: How do you know when it's time to let go of a marriage?

Twenty-eight years ago, I had an affair. We managed to work through the turmoil, and we've had some good years since. But lately, we're just coasting through life, merely existing.

Not long after the affair, he started drinking. To this day, he still blames his behavior on ...Read more

Dear Annie: It's been two years since my husband passed, and at first, my friends were wonderful -- calling, visiting and sending cards. But now that I'm ready to get out again, something strange has happened: I'm rarely included anymore. My husband and I used to be invited to dinners, so why am I left out now? What's the difference between ...Read more