Invite relatives who didn't invite them?

DEAR ABBY: My daughter is getting married soon, and I need some guidance about inviting my aunt and uncle to the wedding. They live about 30 miles from us. We moved to this area four years ago, and we've had them over for dinner once and invited them another time. They declined because they were going to be out of town.

Abby, they didn't reciprocate, and in fact, didn't even invite us to their daughter's wedding, which hurt us very much.

My mother is telling me to turn the other cheek and invite them to the wedding. My daughter doesn't want them to attend and neither does my husband, but Mom is emphatic about inviting them "because they're family."

I would appreciate your opinion on this, Abby, because my emotions are pulling me apart.

- Betwixt and Between

DEAR BETWIXT: The bride's wishes should prevail. Her happiness on her wedding day is more important than the feelings of relatives who don't bother with you, her and your family. I have always said that one should never invite guests to a wedding hoping they won't show up, because they usually do.

DEAR ABBY: I have an older friend who is 70. She doesn't have much money. She was having blood-pressure problems, so I ordered a deluxe blood-pressure machine for her that cost $160.

I learned this week that she "loaned" it to a friend. I wrote her a note and asked her nicely to please get it back because I didn't buy it for her friend (who has plenty of money) but because I was worried about her health. She is now not speaking to me, and my blood pressure is going up by the minute because I'm so angry. Was I out of line or is she?

- Hyper-furious in Arizona

DEAR HYPER-FURIOUS: Relax. Breathe. The blood-pressure machine was a gift. Once a gift is given, it belongs to the recipient to do with as she (or he) wishes. For you to tell her to ask for it back may have been well-intentioned, but it was the wrong thing to do.