These days, Alissa Quart’s attention has broken into strange shapes. But she has found a reprieve in one thing: poetry.

While doing some house cleaning, I came across a column of yours that I had clipped and tucked away. On one of the pages I had dog-eared was the poem, “Decide to Forgive.” I was struck by ...

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips.