Article January 11, 1993 Issue

Single but part of a full family circle

Gaining a clearer view of man's spiritual origin and nature purifies and strengthens our relationships.

Written for the Sentinel

Who doesn't want to feel enfolded in a warm family circle? The commitment, affection, and respect that brothers and sisters, parents and children, husbands and wives can feel for each other are values everyone cherishes. But more people are single today than ever before. Can they experience the full range of qualities we associate with family life?

In a profound sense we all belong to the same family—God's family. The true identity of each one of us is God's spiritual image and likeness. Over the years I've found abundant evidence that the affectionate support associated with family isn't limited to blood ties. When my father passed on at a relatively early age, many individuals upheld and cherished me. I also feel that I have provided motherly qualities to some who have had a need for them, just as those qualities have been expressed toward me by other individuals.

Earlier in my life it was easy to feel a sisterhood with friends. But for me as a single woman there was one exception to my sense of family. At some point I came to have strong views about the proverbial battle between the sexes. As I came of age, discrimination against women had been coming to public attention. Injustices I experienced seemed part of a widespread oppression of women by men. Then some difficult dating relationships convinced me that even romantic attraction didn't successfully bridge the gap between women and men.

Send a comment to the editors