Opinions

DEAR ABBY: I recently retired. I also have fibromyalgia, which leaves me fatigued and in pain, and I never know how I will feel on a given day. My daughter is a single mom of a 3-year-old and asks me to babysit overnight on occasional Saturdays so she can spend the night with her boyfriend.

DEAR ABBY: Four years ago, after our family gathering for Christmas, my brother-in-law sent me a message saying I looked “sexy” in my sweater. I replied, “thanks.” A year later, at another family gathering, he sent me messages asking about my car, which led to sexual advances.

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have been married 40 years and have two grown children. My husband is controlling. He wants things done his way and only his way and will go on and on about it if something is done any other way.

Is the world a better place because of Christianity? On the surface, that seems to be a straightforward question, but the answer rapidly becomes quite complex. It is a polarizing question, most notably because talk of Christianity is never neutral. I happen to be a Christian. That is my bias.

Proverbs 1:1 This verse tells us to listen to your father’s instructions and to your mother’s teachings. Whoever raised you has lived long enough to learn lessons, so their experience qualifies them to be good teachers. Ask questions. Listen and learn from them.

If you are in one, it’s a scary thing. With a lot of anger, defeatism, anxiety, and damaged pride as shipmates. But, maybe you still feel that you would rather patch the holes that are rapidly taking on water, rather than just bailing out.

DEAR ABBY: My husband, “Evan,” and I have been together five years and were married 2 /2 years ago. We’re both in our early 40s and have children from previous relationships. What I’ve noticed is that anytime there is something going on in his family, I constantly have to ask him for updates.

DEAR ABBY: Our dear mother passed away 2 1/2 years ago, which was very sad for me and my three siblings. Her passing happened on my adult son’s birthday.

DEAR ABBY: I am a gay man. My husband, “Isaac,” and I have been together for 21 years, married for nine. I’m having challenges with his sister.

DEAR ABBY: My brother has found love again. His first wife passed away from cancer two years ago. He is getting married in two months. We were never super close but have always been civil to each other and spent an hour or two with each other during holiday meals or birthdays.