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Solo Adventures
7 singles share their big and small moments of bravery
March 19, 2008
A Place to Call Home
I was teary-eyed as I left my house closing two years ago. Thrilled to be buying a condo, I was also disappointed to once again celebrate a milestone alone. This was definitely my bravest moment as a single.
I'd promised myself if I purchased a place of my own, I'd use it to bless and encourage friends. So, for the past two years, I've set aside the second Friday of every month for "Treats and Retreats." I offer a sweet time of fellowship for busy single and married women to get away for a few hours and "be still."
My condo may be small, but it has a large living room window sporting a beautiful view of a wooded area. I love that it's a sanctuary not just for me, but for others as well.
-Deanna
Road Trip
My proudest achievement as a single woman was driving my daughter from our home in the Seattle area to Los Angeles for her freshman year at the University of Southern California.
Although I'd traveled to LA with our family when I was married, my ex told me I was completely incapable of managing a long trip without him. He said I'd be particularly incapable of driving in the LA-area without getting hopelessly lost and/or having a major accident.
My daughter and I both knew it was God's will for her to be at USC, even though it meant she'd be far from home. The two of us packed all her belongings into a rented SUV, and took a delightful road trip from Seattle to LA, stopping to enjoy some quality girl-time together along the way.
I'll never forget the moment we exited the 110 freeway and arrived at the USC campus. I cried with joy, because it meant I'd accomplished this goal. It felt great to overcome the fear I'd lived with for so long, and prove to myself and my daughter that with God's help we can do anything!
-Debbie
Picture This
My late wife got me hooked on photographing animals at the zoos we visited. I continued this hobby after she passed away, until I had 3,000 pictures of animals and didn't know what to do with them.
One of my friends introduced me to scrapbooking, and I got addicted. I make pages and books of my animals. I'm usually the only male at scrapbooking stores and events, and usually the only single person in the room. Everyone else is making pages of their children and families.
It might sound like a strange hobby for a single guy, but I've found scrapbooking to be a stress-reducing activity. It's also become a means of ministry. My solo adventure into scrapbooking has been worth the trip!
-John
Working Girl
I'm in the midst of my bravest adventure as a single person: I recently started my own business. The challenges are great, and the temptation to quit is ever-present. I look at many of the women I know in business, some of them I consider my mentors, and I find one distinct difference: All of them are married. While I think it would be great to have a spouse to bounce ideas off and to offer unconditional support on the tough days, I'm trying to focus on the caring people I do have in my life.
Starting my own business certainly has been a faith-growing experience. God's the one steady presence in my life, and through his unconditional love, he's teaching me I can trust his guidance. He's directed me in which opportunities I should take and which ones I should let pass. And when I desperately need encouragement, he never fails to show up through a preached message or a friend's comment. As I grow my business, God's growing my faith walk.
-KJ
Cutting a Rug
My solo adventure was signing up for fox trot and swing dancing lessons. This was a completely new experience for me—not the type of thing I'd normally do. Thankfully, an assistant to the teacher and an older woman in our class didn't have partners, so I was able to dance with them. The class was fun; I enjoyed the dancing and the fellowship I found there!
-Nicholas
La Dolce Vita
A year ago last September, I took a trip to Italy. None of my friends or relatives were able to travel with me, so I went with a tour group and had the time of my life. I met another single woman, a widow named Dolores, at the JFK Airport who was on the same tour. She decided to go alone as well, and had prayed beforehand that she'd meet another single woman to hang out with on the trip—just as I had!
Rome, Venice, and Florence were beautiful. Neither Dolores nor I had imagined riding a gondola with another single woman, but it didn't seem to matter. The others on the tour were protective of Dolores and me, and befriended us just the same as everyone else. I can hardly wait to take another trip abroad, with or without someone I already know. It's a great way to make new friends.
-Aleta
A Hand-Picked Child
I thought buying a house would be my biggest moment as a single person, but then three years after buying it, I decided to adopt. I always wanted a little girl and originally thought I'd adopt from Guatemala, but God had other plans. He made it clear he wanted me to adopt from China. I was more than a little nervous, but after testing him to make sure this was where I was supposed to adopt, I started the process.
I completed all my paperwork and sent it to Christian World Adoptions, who forwarded it to China. They told me it would be about a year before I received the referral of my child. Some people told me I'd never love an adopted child as much as if I'd birthed her. I didn't feel that was true, but I prayed God would fill me with an overwhelming love for her. One night I dreamt about the entire adoption process, including my travels to China to receive my baby. I woke with an overwhelming love for my soon-to-be child.
About a year later, I received my daughter's picture from the adoption agency and was shocked to see the same face as the baby in my dream. I wrote a note to my daughter in a journal I kept about my adoption experience, saying "Don't ever doubt you were meant to be my daughter." Isn't God great?
-Faith
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