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Friendship Mysteriously Ends After 30-Year Relationship

DEAR ABBY: I need help moving past the end of a longtime friendship. I don’t know what happened. My friend, my former college roommate, just drifted away. After school we continued to be friends — not besties, but we would meet for coffee or dinner a few times a year. Fast-forward 25 years. She called me the day she left her husband, 10 years ago, to tell me the news. I was her emotional lifeline for a few days, and it was intense. We continued to be in touch a few times a year. Then, a few years ago, I sent a message suggesting we meet soon. She replied that she was busy but ...

Social Security Column: New Benefit Verification Letters

We are excited to announce the release of a new, standardized Benefit Verification letter. People receiving Social Security or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits can obtain their letter by using their personal my Social Security account. You can use the letter as proof of income for loans, housing assistance, mortgage, and other verification purposes. Please create your personal my Social Security account to access your new Benefit Verification letter online in a safe, quick, and convenient way without needing to contact us. People not receiving benefits can use ...

Rare Statin Side Effect Requires Expert Evaluation

DEAR DR. ROACH: In your column about statins, you said they have the potential for side effects. Why don’t doctors know or consider these when prescribing them or tell you when to stop taking them? After a few years on statins, I had muscle aches, especially in my legs. Not one doctor acknowledged it when I asked if it could be the statins — except to say “Let’s try another one.” It wasn’t until I read an article online written by two European doctors and one from San Diego that talked in depth about statin side effects. That’s why they said they don’t prescribe ...

Friend Wants to Break Up With Longtime Golf Partner

DEAR ABBY: Years ago, I met a man through golf, and we developed a casual friendship. I lost track of him for a few years, but when I heard his wife was being treated with chemo for cancer, I took them food and offered my support. As our friendship grew stronger, we began playing more golf and became “refriended.” He’s a good golfer, but very serious, and he whines constantly on the course. I have kidded him about it, and he acknowledges it to a small degree. He’s also joined at the hip with his wife, so much so that when I invited him to our cabin for a guys’ weekend, he ...

Coin Shortage?

Dear Readers: Surely you’ve noticed retailers posting signs about a coin shortage. It’s not really a shortage, it’s a distribution problem. During these times of a global pandemic, some businesses have had their doors closed or have been limited in service for social distancing and stay-at-home orders. Some of these include businesses that rely on coins (laundromats, car washes and even vending machines), and they have seen their revenue plummet. Therefore, there are fewer coins in circulation. As the economy recovers, you’ll see more coins around and fewer signs stating, ...

Many Reach Out To Offer Help to Grieving Widower

DEAR ABBY: Your advice to the grieving widower “In Need of Someone” (June 22) was spot on. I met my husband when I was 14. We married at 18, and he died when he was 44. After his death, I had no idea how to be a person because I had always been a partner. In the early years, I cried every day and was searching, like “In Need,” to fill that empty spot in my life. Then one day, I started figuring out what to do about the other holes in my life. I had not been the breadwinner, so my income was poverty-level. I had no college and not a lot of work experience. I knew if I was ...