Dear Eric: I am a non-observant Jew. My spiritual beliefs are very personal, and I don’t discuss them casually. My mother became a Christian. This is important because, as she went deeper into her Christianity, she made friends who shared her beliefs.
Dear Eric: My husband’s parents are divorced. In the last year or so (after being married to their son for nine years) my in-laws have started communicating with me instead of my husband to make plans. Example: My husband called his dad to make New Year’s plans. A few days later, my father-in-law texted me with the details about times to arrive and eat.
Dear Eric: I have years of writing under my belt.
Dear Eric: My spouse and I are an older couple with some family members who live in the same town as us and some family who live out of state.
Dear Eric: My brother is 22 years old and has always had a girlfriend, though none of the relationships have ever lasted. His previous girlfriends have been controlling and possessive, to the point that he breaks up with them.
Dear Eric: The most important family member to me is my brother, the only person who’s been there since my birth and never let me down. We’re both retired, and he’s very, very sick, partly from past addictions. His insurance company kicked him off getting any more of his last chance medication that could give him another one to five years of life, partly because of his own bad choices.
Dear Eric: I have a 30-year-old friendship from high school. I am a woman, and my friend is a man. He got married to a smart, driven, friendly partner. She meshes well with our core group. They have been married for 13 years and have a 5-year-old.
Dear Eric: My 65-year-old brother Greg is dying. Lately, he has wanted to talk about how he has no regrets about the “wonderful” life he has led. Now he’s pressing me to tell him I have no regrets about my life, which has only caused me to think about how many I do have.
Dear Eric: My wife and I are both 70. We recently gave up our landline and now both carry our cellphones. Lately my wife, when receiving a text or call, will stop what she’s doing to reply. While eating lunch together recently and having a conversation, a text came in and she interrupted our talk to respond.
Dear Eric: I am a happily married gay man. My husband and I are retired, and we both love to spend our time shopping at thrift stores and antique shops. We each believe the other has a hoarding problem. I believe that we both do, but to varying degrees.