DEAR ABBY: I would like to offer a word of hope for all those hurting grandmothers whose sons' wives have been unkind or ignored them. Have patience! Someday those very same daughters-in-law will be mothers-in-law. In my case, my grandson married a girl just like his mother. Now my daughter-in-law is a grandma, too, and she's getting the same kind of treatment she gave me. Of course, I say nothing -- but I smile a lot.
Please don't print my name or town. Sign me ... SMILING IN ILLINOIS
DEAR SMILING: Yours may be a knowing smile, but it proves the truth of that old song lyric, "When you're smiling, the whole world smiles with you." Your letter is a reminder of how often events come full circle with unexpected results.