DEAR ABBY: I have a suggestion for your readers. When you attend a funeral or a wake, or meet a friend or relative who has been recently widowed, don't say, "If there is anything I can do, just ask." Call the person in the near future and invite him or her to dinner with you. It doesn't have to be a steak dinner or anything fancy. A home-cooked pot roast would be wonderful.
Of all my friends, only one has done this several times. The phone rings and he'll say, "We're having spaghetti tonight. Would you like to come over? We'll throw in another meatball." I get so tired of going out alone to eat, or settling for a sandwich. -- GRATEFUL WIDOWER IN ILLINOIS
DEAR GRATEFUL: When a death happens, sometimes people are well-intentioned, but they feel awkward and don't know what to do. Thank you for writing and giving me the opportunity to remind them that it isn't the food as much as it is the fellowship that matters at a time like this.