DEAR ABBY: I'm a faithful reader and Navy wife. My husband has been deployed for nearly a year, and I'm lucky he'll be home in time for Christmas. However, not all military spouses will be as fortunate.
I'm writing to ask a favor. Deployments are long and can be challenging. Being separated from your spouse during the holiday season is difficult. I have done many deployments and have experienced this myself. Please remind your readers to think about their military friends and include them in their holiday plans. If they do, I know it will be appreciated. Thanks, Abby. -- PROUD NAVY WIFE IN SAN DIEGO
DEAR PROUD WIFE: I'm glad to help. For many years my mother and I had a program, Operation Dear Abby, in which readers could send messages of support (and gifts) to active duty military members who were away from home during holiday time. Even after it was scaled back from cards and packages to just email messages, more than 35 million of them were sent to our troops.
Sadly, Operation Dear Abby is no longer in existence -- but readers, if you know someone whose family member or spouse is away from home during the holidays serving this country, please see that they are not alone. It would be a lovely way to repay in some small part what their family member is giving to all of us.