DEAR ABBY: I am one of your male readers. A year and a half ago, my brother was killed in an automobile accident by a drunk driver. We are a very close family, and everyone was devastated. My sister-in-law, "Grace," and I were always close, and we have become closer lately. Now we're discussing the possibility of a relationship.
Grace has three grown sons, and I realize there could be issues or concerns with the boys and our families, but we feel they would want us to be happy.
Is this something that is acceptable, and does it happen often? We have never discussed the fact that I am not my brother and cannot -- and never would try to -- replace him. I couldn't. He was a great man. -- LOOKING FOR INSIGHT IN THE MIDWEST
DEAR LOOKING FOR INSIGHT: While I do not have any statistics about widows and widowers becoming romantically involved with former in-laws, I can tell you that this situation is not as unusual as you might think, and the subject has appeared before in my column. It is understandable that you and Grace would be drawn to each other. You have years of shared history in common, and that could form the basis of a very successful union. If you love each other, I say go for it.