DEAR ABBY: I am a gay man who matched with another guy on a dating site two years ago this month. At first, we texted constantly. No one has ever made me feel the way he made me feel through texting alone. He displayed qualities that set him apart from anyone else I have talked to. We made a date, but he canceled at the last minute because of cold feet. He requested more time to get to know each other before meeting.

For the past two years, we have continued to message each other, though not nearly as often. He says he very much wants to meet, but says he's intimidated by my accomplishments in life and is convinced I won't like him. (Abby, he is more accomplished than most of the guys I date.)

I have tried desperately to convince him to meet me so we may both find out if we are a good match. In the meantime, I continue to date other guys because I want to find someone to share my life with. But I refuse to put my life on hold in a vain hope that we might someday meet.

However, my desire to meet him overshadows most of my attempts to date others. His statements that he badly wants to meet me but is afraid to do so is incredibly frustrating. Should I block him from contacting me further so I might focus on looking for someone else? Or should I keep doing what I've been doing? -- FRUSTRATED IN KENTUCKY

DEAR FRUSTRATED: There may be a logical reason why this relationship has not progressed. The man with whom you are communicating may not at all be who he says he is. Because you have invested so much time and emotion in trying to meet him, offer him one more chance to meet.

Tell him that if he can't bring himself to do that, you are ending the relationship and will block him from contacting you further. Then follow through. Consider it to be taking a giant step forward in your life. You deserve better than the teasing you have been receiving.

DEAR ABBY: It seems that doctors' offices have it set up to automatically send you emails and/or text messages to confirm your appointments. It is convenient, but they send them repeatedly, starting a week or two prior to the appointment. Why? It seems like overkill to me. Once should be enough, unless they feel we're unable to remember when we have an appointment.

Before the internet, we made our next appointments, if required, at the doctor's office upon leaving and were given a card showing date and time. That was all we got! You marked it on your calendar at home, and life went on. Abby, do you agree with my frustration? -- BLUNT GUY IN NEVADA

DEAR BLUNT GUY: No, I do not. Sometimes folks forget to enter that information into their calendar and the result is that the medical and dental professionals get stood up. If the reminders become annoying, you can always delete them when they pop up. If this is your biggest problem, consider yourself lucky.

DEAR ABBY: My boyfriend and I have dated for seven months. We have a good relationship in terms of compatibility. We are both Christian and educated, and we have good professions. We are fun-loving and both of us like to invest and travel. He enjoys my company and says I am the girl with the best qualities he's ever dated.

But I do have one issue: He stays in close contact with his former on-and-off girlfriend of 10 years and other women he dated. When I asked him about it, he said he cares about other people and likes to keep in touch with them.

An example: Last year when he was single, he wanted to take his long-term ex-girlfriend out for a day trip, dinner and a musical so she could get away from her apartment. Her daughter and grandkids, who were living with her, made her life very tough. My boyfriend and this ex also text each other often to keep up with each other's family and life.

I feel uneasy about this. Wouldn't most women? To me, if you don't think a relationship is working, you should stop seeing each other so you don't cause more confusion or stir up more emotion. How should I deal with this? I like this guy a lot and really think we have something going. -- SHARING HIM IN TEXAS

DEAR SHARING HIM: When people end long-term relationships, they don't all do it in the same way. Some of them have a dramatic blowup and never speak to the person again. Others remain friends for many years.

If your boyfriend's former flame has an adult daughter and grandkids, none of you are inexperienced kids yourselves. If you really want a future with him, you may have to accept that he won't be happy if you try to curtail his social contacts. If you can't summon up enough self-confidence to manage that, perhaps you should find someone else.

DEAR ABBY: I'm a 68-year-old married man with no close friends. I worked for 35 years in my family-owned bar and restaurant, until they lost it. After that, I worked as an assistant manager in a few fast-food places, then as an assistant manager in a major pharmacy.

At 65, after three knee surgeries and a foot fusion, I retired from working full time. I now work part time for a physical therapy center, mostly to keep busy and make a few bucks. I have no hobbies or major interests. I have a few health issues, which are under control.

I feel lonely most of the time. I know a lot of people and get along with people -- I just feel lonely. I have two sons I'm very proud of who have families of their own, but they're busy with their lives. I have no one to talk to who won't judge me for feeling the way I do. Can you give me any direction of where to turn? -- A BIT LONELY IN THE EAST

DEAR LONELY: You say you are married. Is it a happy marriage? You also have part-time employment. These are things to be grateful for. Your persistent loneliness may be something to mention to your doctors. The problem could be emotional, spiritual, existential or physical, or it may simply be boredom. But the place to start would be a doctor or a spiritual adviser to help you get to the bottom of this.

DEAR ABBY: My oldest daughter, "Kate," is 22. Her baby is now 6 months old. She is the first grandchild and great-grandchild. Kate refuses to allow my mom to hold her baby. My mom has held the baby a couple of times, but my daughter immediately swooped in and took the baby from her. During the last family gathering, Kate wouldn't let me hold the baby either, because she said I might let my mom hold the baby.

It hurts my heart to watch Mom treated this way. I know my mom. We haven't always been close, and sometimes Mom says the wrong things, but she is a good person and would never hurt the baby. Because I let Kate know my feelings, she is now refusing to come to any family gathering where Mom might be present, and she won't talk to me, either.

I'm struggling and emotional over this. Mom has done some very kind things for my daughter. She owns a timeshare and let Kate use it for graduation and her honeymoon. I feel Kate is using the baby as a weapon. Is there anything I can do? If not, how do I try to move on? -- THWARTED IN UTAH

DEAR THWARTED: Kate may -- or may not -- be using her child as a weapon to punish you and your mother for some perceived slight. She may also legitimately be worried that her grandmother might accidentally drop the little one. You stated that you and your mother weren't close for a period of time. If you and your mother weren't close, it would follow that your daughter wouldn't be all that close to her grandmother.

Of course, a solution to this problem won't be possible until you understand what has caused it, and that won't happen until your daughter is willing to give you some straight answers. Start there. If she refuses, you will have to live your life and hope that as your grandchild grows up, the dynamic will change.

DEAR ABBY: When a daughter is getting married, how do divorced parents sit, walk down the aisle and conduct themselves? -- ALMOST THERE IN NEW YORK

DEAR ALMOST THERE: First and foremost, the divorced parents should act like adults and bury their hostilities (if there are any) on their daughter's special day. Tact and diplomacy should be paramount. Depending upon the circumstances, the "person of choice" should accompany the bride down the aisle. If there is a stepfather, some brides ask each gentleman to walk halfway down the aisle with her.

If the parents are cordial, Emily Post says they can share the first row. If they aren't (and I am shortening this), the mother sits in the front row with her relatives behind her. The father and his relatives are seated behind his ex-wife's family. (If the bride is estranged from her mother, the father and his family occupy the first rows.)