DR. WALLACE: I got engaged to my boyfriend last year and several things happened that caused me to take pause, and when things continued on a path that I was not comfortable with, I ended up calling off the engagement.

So now I have a question for you. Do I have to give the ring back to him? It's a really cool ring that I'd like to keep. — No Longer Engaged, via email

NO LONGER ENGAGED: Yes, I feel you should indeed return it to him. The ring was a symbol of a promise to marry, and that now is not going to happen as you have canceled the engagement.

I have no doubt that you thoughtfully decided to call off the wedding for very good reasons. Simply think of the return of the ring as a small price to pay for the big benefit of not marrying the wrong person and heading down a difficult path that would have been fraught with many challenges that you now no longer will need to deal with.

I WANTED TO GIVE A THANK-YOU GIFT

DR. WALLACE: I tried to thank my very helpful neighbor by giving him a small gift, but to my great surprise, when I gave it to him, he did not want to accept my gift!

For me it was a very uncomfortable interaction. He's a great neighbor, but he never seems to want to take any credit for all the helpful things he does on a regular basis for his neighbors.

My question for you is: How do you get someone to accept a gift? — The Grateful Neighbor, via email

THE GRATEFUL NEIGHBOR: Saying a very earnest and heartfelt "thank you" is often enough for unassuming helpers like your fantastic neighbor.

In the future, if you want to go above and beyond a bit to recognize a great act of kindness or a really helpful favor, simply ask the person to identify their favorite charity or organization. You can then make a donation on their behalf and even get a receipt in their name so that they can receive a tax deduction for their kind gift donation.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at rwallace@thegreatestgift.com. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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