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Man Smitten by Second Cousin Hides Relationship From Wife

DEAR ABBY: Three months ago, my husband ran into a second cousin he hadn’t seen in 40 years. They were close for a short time during high school and saw each other a couple times after that. I was not aware until recently that he had looked her up on social media and has been communicating with her every day since then. I didn’t think much of it when he did tell me — until one night when he stayed on the computer with her until 3 a.m. He has lied to me about the number of times he has been online with her and, if she calls or texts, he tells me it is someone else. She sent ...

Co-signing A Loan

Dear Readers: What happens if someone you know, a friend or family member, asks you to co-sign a loan? Most financial advisers will discourage you from saying yes. Why? Let’s take a look. According to the Federal Trade Commission (www.ftc.gov), when you co-sign a loan, you are saying that regardless of any situation, this loan will be paid. But what if the borrower cannot pay and you don’t have the money to do so either? If the payment is late, fees and penalties can accrue, which will add to the amount owed. Be aware that the creditor can collect from you first, before ...

Older, Wiser Woman Wants to Apologize For Past Sins

DEAR ABBY: Is it ever too late to apologize to an ex-boyfriend? I’m in my mid-40s now, and over the last three years, I have gone through a significant change. It has helped me to face myself, let go of useless hate and anger and forgive the people who hurt me. It has made me a much happier person. One of the results of this change is realizing how much I dislike who I was when I was younger. I’m sure many people made mistakes in their early 20s and maybe blew it off, because I know I did. But now I can’t. I’m ashamed of my previous behavior and have been thinking about ...

Encouraging A Friend’s Weight Loss

Today’s Sound Off is about weight loss jealousy: Dear Heloise: I have been able to lose 65 pounds with diet and exercise, and although I had to really work at it, the rewards have been great. I have fewer aches and pains, my blood pressure is lower and there has been a significant improvement in my HDL and LDL cholesterol levels, too. I never talked about it, because I didn’t want to appear as if I were bragging, but when some people noticed they would say, oh, you look gaunt (or tired or too skinny, etc.). Please tell your readers to never discourage people who slim down. ...

Disapproval of Pregnancy Becomes Permanent Rift

DEAR ABBY: I became pregnant with my second child in 2013. When my extended family heard the news, it was not well-received, particularly by my grandmother and aunt-in-law. They said things like, “We love you, but we’re embarrassed and ashamed.” My once loving grandmother said some particularly cruel things. I have to be honest — I was angry. I swore at her after she accused me of “using” my partner of 10 YEARS to get pregnant. The gossip and hateful comments from my family shocked me to my core. I wasn’t asking for a blessing, but unconditional love from this God-fearing ...

Don’t Forget the Ice Cream

Did you see it? The other night at dusk, did you stop and take a few minutes to look at it? Wednesday night took its good old time to fall into darkness, and the show provided to us across the horizon was nothing short of glorious. I was driving across the hilltop near Wheeling Park High School when I was awestruck by not only the red, orange and blue-gray colors presenting themselves on heaven’s perfect skyline, but because others had pulled their vehicles over and got out to watch the sun kiss the day goodbye. At a nearby home, the residents were seated in their yard, ...