Gesture of funeral home deserved gracious response

man was ungracious. You needed only to say, “No, thank you.”

Dear Abby: My mother-in-law keeps buying us decorator items that don’t have a place in our home.

Although I appreciate the thought, I have no more closet space in which to store them. My mother-in-law is scheduled to visit in a few weeks, and my husband insists that we should display the items she has bought for us. This would involve putting holes in my walls, as she tends to get us items that need to be hung.

I don’t think we should have to go through this charade just to appease her. What should I do?

Dear N.M.C.G.: It won’t destroy your home to display one (or two) of the items your motherin-law has given you while she’s visiting. But while she’s there, make sure she opens the closet where you have stored all the other items she has sent “because she’s such a generous doll, you can’t possibly use them all.”

When she leaves, sell the gifts or donate them, then pray that she takes the hint.

Dear Abby: I’m in love with a wonderful man. He says he likes and respects me but does not love me. I desperately want his love but have agreed to be friends with benefits in the hope that he might come to love me. Is there a future for me with him? —

Dear Hopeful: For many people, liking and respecting someone would make the person a candidate for marriage. The bad news is, the man you care about is not one of them.

Time is precious. If you want a happy future, be glad that your friend with benefits has been honest, cut your losses and look elsewhere for love.