Dear Eric: My wife of 38 years passed away a year ago. He was 72, I’m 72 now. He was a bit of a loner and had a strained relationship with his only sibling, his younger sister.

For the past 10 years he had completely cut off communication with her. Honestly, the main reason was that he just didn’t want to be her friend. She is a nice, helpful person, but he was who he was and he did what he did.

When she died, I held her hand in a brotherly way and included her in the funeral service. She was delighted. She immediately bonded with me, calls me sister and started texting me several times a week.

This intimate connection with her is unwanted. I don’t want to receive these almost daily texts. They come with great details and photos of her everyday life. I haven’t responded to any messages in the last few months, but the hint is being ignored.

I have no idea how to stop this texting relationship without hurting her feelings. I need your advice on the best way to end my texting relationship with her and basically keep our relationship at a comfortable distance.

– Personal space

Dear Space: Reconnecting with your sister-in-law is a wonderful and loving gesture. You might feel like you’re risking reopening old wounds by setting a texting limit, but think of it as the clear communication that’s the lifeblood of any healthy relationship.

Reach out over the phone or in person and tell her that you’re glad to be in each other’s lives and appreciate her, but you’re not a writer and would like to find another way to catch up.

She is enthusiastic and perhaps eager to replace the relationship she didn’t have with your husband. There’s nothing wrong with that, per se, but if it doesn’t work for you, it’s neither rude nor unfair to redirect.