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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 20, 2015)
FEATURES 6A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2015 Discovery of abuse pains parents Tomorrow’s horoscope By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc. Dear Annie: My wife and I are in our late 70s and we raised four children. We lost our second son to suicide when he was 7. He suffered from major de- pression. A few years ago, our daughter wrote us, saying that her eldest brother had sex- ually molested her when she was very young. She said we knew about it and covered it up. We knew nothing about it and were very upset. I confronted our son, now 42, and he admitted to it and was so sorry for what he did all those years ago. He also said he is not the same person he was then. I told our daughter that her broth- er admitted everything and felt terrible about it and that I hope at some point, he will tell her directly how sorry he is. Since he became an adult, this son is the kindest person and has the closest rela- tionship with us of all our children. Last week, our youngest son and his family came to visit. It turns out that his eldest brother also had molested him when they were children. But he never appeared as devastated as his sister, and moved on. What are we supposed to do at this stage of our lives? Do you think our eldest son could have been molested at an early age and then acted out like this on his siblings? We found out later that there was a pedophile priest in our local parish. Our son has never admitted to Annie’s Mailbox Creators Syndicate Inc. Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar any molestation when he was a boy and we are afraid to ask him. Any advice? — Distraught Dear Distraught: This is a terribly disturbing situation, but please don’t hide from it. Your son has already admitted the abuse. He needs to apologize to both of his siblings and ask for forgiveness. We are glad that he has changed for the better, but that doesn’t help his sister or brother come to terms with what happened. We strongly urge you to get into family coun- seling and work through this. All of you Dear Annie: You recently published a letter from a woman who was com- plaining that her husband recently devel- oped anxiety about traveling in a car. This onset of anxiety, particularly in midlife or later, could be a symptom of Parkinson’s disease. If the anxiety is accompanied by terrible nightmares (including yelling, punching and kick- ing) and/or by constipation that seems to develop where it didn’t exist before, Parkinson’s could well be the reason. I watched these symptoms develop and didn’t understand why — until the twitching started in one thumb. Then a - toms were, indeed, indications that Parkinson’s was at work. Her husband should get to a neurologist now. — Wish We Knew Dear Wish: Thank you for giving us the opportunity to mention some of the symptoms of Parkinson’s. Parkinson’s is a progressive and chronic neurologi- cal disease that interferes with the body chemicals that control movement and mood. It usually begins with mild symp- toms that advance slowly, so they are often ignored. Symptoms include tremors or shak- ing in any part of the body when it’s at rest, changes in handwriting, loss of smell, trouble sleeping, muscle tension feeling dizzy on a regular basis and de- pression. If you are experiencing any of these things, even in a very mild form, please talk to your doctor about Parkin- son’s. Dear Annie: This is in response to “Getting It Off My Chest,” whose major peeve is that family never comes to vis- it: If you buy the plane tickets, you will have plenty of company. — G. FRANK AND ERNEST BLONDIE THATABABY SALLY FORTH STONE SOUP B.C. LOLA DILBERT SIX CHIX BIZARRO MUTTS NON SEQUITUR BABY BLUES WIZARD OF ID ZITS ROSE IS ROSE ARIES (March 21-April 19). Just be- cause we are all works in progress doesn’t mean we shouldn’t stop and celebrate the unfinished, imperfect people we are. Someone wants to help you do so today. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Getting rid of what you don’t want creates a vacuum that will pull what you do want right in. It won’t happen immediately, so you’ll have to have patience. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You’re in the mood for the company of people you don’t know well. The bridge between acquaintanceship and friendship is a fascinating one for you, especially when Sagittarius is involved. CANCER (June 22-July 22). You’ll per- form a quick save without even thinking. You’ll swoop in and help someone with your strength, balance and just the right words. Your everyday heroism is so ap- preciated. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). What some people call stubborn, you call tenacious. Your persistence is working for you now. Do not give up. Your best ideas about what you can do — and what others can do — can still be realized. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). The con- tradictions of life will be apparent at every turn. By now, you know better than to ex- pect people to be a certain way without leaving room for other possibilities. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). There’s an obstacle you need to clear before you can progress along your spiritual path. For today, it’s enough to poke around a bit and get acquainted with what exactly you’re dealing with. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Affirm your status. You may feel as if it shouldn’t matter, but the others need the comfort of your title, expertise and/or authority. You’ll rise to the occasion. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Ex- perience is a mysterious teacher; it can give you the lesson even when you don’t consciously remember the experience it- self. Your unconscious knowledge is alive in your body. Trust its response. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You could witness the situation alone, but you wouldn’t see it all. Someone with an insightful and decisive point of view will extend your sensitivities and awareness. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). The love affair in your mind is not going the same in real life. If only you could use your television remote to back things up and try again. Hold the loving space in your heart, and love will eventually settle into it. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Getting lost can be enjoyable under the right cir- cumstances. As you follow a whim, you won’t be sure where you’re going until you get there. WEDNESDAY’S BIRTHDAY (Jan. 21). The next six weeks will bring a slow awakening. You’ll forget yourself and take a playful approach to life. The realm of your control will grow in March, along with your responsibility. A loved one’s life will be better for what you do. Let things fall from your plate in May so you can en- joy an adventure. Capricorn and Taurus adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 4, 19, 13, 50 and 42.