Dear Annie: During the past 25 years, Youth Service America has mobilized millions of youth across the globe to do good in their communities — an estimated 16 million! These amazing kids do everything from advocating for more affordable housing to raising awareness about organ donation, from tutoring younger children to fundraising to fight cancer, and all to raise awareness and solve the problems facing the world today.
To celebrate their ingenuity, idealism and passion, please remind your readers that the 24th Annual Global Youth Service Day will take place April 20-22, 2012. More than 1,000 national and global partners in more than 100 countries will bring together millions of young people to strengthen their communities through the power of youth service.
For more information, your readers can visit www.YSA.org and www.GYSD.org. — Sincerely, Steven A. Culbertson, President and CEO, Youth Service America
Dear Steven Culbertson: Thanks so much for letting us once again mention this worthwhile project. We hope all our readers, young and old, will check out the websites you mention and become involved in local volunteer programs. It’s also a wonderful educational opportunity for teachers and students.
Dear Annie: I am in my late 40s, married for 13 years. I was widowed early in my first marriage, and my husband is divorced with children. I knew from the start that we were from different worlds and had few common interests, but I thought that would change over time.
Now I wish we had dated longer. Over the past seven years, we have had little interaction. I do my thing, he does his. We haven’t been intimate or even affectionate for close to a year. We haven’t said “I love you” in forever. Our flame has blown out.
I have tried to speak to my husband about this, and he says I am making something out of nothing. We both are still young. I want to be embraced by longing arms, say I love you and know it is reciprocated. I want to cuddle, laugh, share, talk, look into his eyes with excitement and feel wanted. I’d even love to go to the movies together and hold hands. Am I expecting too much? — Roommate
Dear Roommate: You might be expecting more than your husband is capable of giving, but it’s not too late to address it and figure out your best course of action. Suggest that your husband see his doctor and check his testosterone levels and other possible medical conditions. Then ask him to go with you for counseling so you can work on your communication and intimacy issues. If he refuses, go without him and decide what you can live with. But thank you for providing a word of caution to those who rush into marriage and believe the other person will change.
Dear Annie: I’d like to comment on the letter from “Hands Tied in Michigan,” whose husband works out of state and sometimes doesn’t call when he’s back from dinner with the guys.
From my male point of view, I’d say her husband is going out to topless bars with the guys, maybe even having sex with the strippers after hours. Obviously, he can’t call home to “The Wife” if he’s with a young girl who thinks he’s not married, nor can he answer his cellphone in the topless bar, because his wife would hear the loud music in the background.
The wife should hire a private investigator to follow her husband around each evening after he gets off of work. One full week ought to reveal whether he is partying more than he should be. — A Man Who Knows in New York
Dear Male: Your cynical scenario is, of course, one possibility, but we hope there are more benign reasons behind the lack of phone calls.
“Annie’s Mailbox” is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar. This column was originally published in 2017. To find out more about Classic Annie’s Mailbox and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit Creators Syndicate at www.creators.com.