DEAR ABBY: My mother died recently. She had lovely embossed stationery with her monogram. Would it be all right for me to use it to acknowledge gifts and notes of sympathy for her death, or should I use my own? -- SANDRA IN SAVANNAH
DEAR SANDRA: It would be better to use your own. To receive an acknowledgment on letterhead bearing the monogram of the deceased might cause a negative reaction. Because the stationery was expensive, consider having it recut so the monogram is removed and using it for your own personal correspondence. That way, it won't be wasted.