DEAR ABBY: I am a 36-year-old man who has been dating a 39-year-old widow for two years. Lately, I thought things were going well between us, but two nights ago she called me to say she is going out with another man.
I have invested my whole self into this relationship and have developed an emotional attachment to my girlfriend's children. I am crushed, despondent and beside myself with sadness. What can I do to feel happy again? -- GRIEVING IN MONTEBELLO, CALIF.
DEAR GRIEVING: I am sorry things didn't work out as you wished. However, not every dating relationship ends up at the altar –- and that is just the way life is.
The surest way I know to get over a broken romance is to distract yourself. Keep busy. Channel the time and energy you devoted to the relationship into activities that will help your church, your community, your career and/or sports so you don't have the time to brood about what "might have been." This works for both sexes.