Going Steady
Dear Editor,
My late brother-in-law was a Vietnam vet and suffered from PTSD. My sister would attend various group functions without him and mention that he wasn’t attending because the PTSD made him nervous and uncomfortable in groups. I mentioned this to my buddies and their universal reaction was something like, “Wow! What a great way to get out of crap we get stuck having to attend!”
How does this relate to your [“Luv Doc”] column? My girlfriend and I, both in our 70s, have been in our exclusive relationship over 30 years. We don’t live together, but refer to each other as boyfriend/girlfriend. At gatherings people may refer to her as my wife or to me as her husband. We respond by telling them the above. And, exactly like my buddies and the PTSD thing, the, I swear, universal response is, “Wow! What a great way to have a relationship!” Trust me, they’re not just being polite.
I regularly read your column – it’s excellent! I love your digressions. The column I’m referring to was a good answer to the lady complaining about her boyfriend not choosing a gift for his mom [“The Luv Doc: His Mom’s Birthday Gift,” Columns, Dec. 12]. My only quibble is that you say the use of the terms boyfriend and girlfriend must be abandoned after 10 years. Not so.
Best regards from a fan,
Jack Bishop
Not Jazzed About Jasmine
Dear Editor,
I feel bad for Texas – that you have someone filing for a high-government position that lacks just about as much integrity as our president [“Candidates Shift Races After Supreme Court Ruling,” Headlines, Dec. 12]…. Not the kind of news the American people want…. It seems Jasmine Crockett needs to brush up on the book written by Miss Manners…. This is not a partisan issue, but a personality issue…. We can’t sing “God bless America” and yet think and behave un ungodly ways…. To quote the Good Book, “we shall know them by their fruits” and I see sour grapes….
Lindie Gibson
This article appears in December 19 • 2025.