I recently spent some virtual time with author Craig Wynne discussing his book How to be a Happy Bachelor. We talked about how awkward it can be to talk about singledom and childlessness. Especially with people who are not single or childless themselves. Craig made the point that such conversations can be difficult because people […]
Surviving Singledom
Issues relating to my book and to the broader challenges facing Christian singles
The Double-Whammy
We recently celebrated World Childless Week, and it was fabulous. I loved hearing stories from men and women, stories of grief and loss, stories of solidarity and love, stories of re-invention and renewal, stories in poetry and colour and narrative. The warmth and generosity of spirit was moving. And this week is Singles’ Week. This […]
Valuable Connections
When I was single, I attended a small community church and they welcomed me as one of their own. It felt like I had been part of the family for years, maybe even decades. They were like a spiritual family to me. So readily did they embrace me that one particular family included me in […]
A Countercultural Conversation with Craig Wynne
Twelve years ago I was a frustrated singleton. I went shopping for books on the subject, but I found, to my dismay, there was not much out there. This was the inspiration behind my book, Surviving Singledom. Since then, to my relief, more and more books have come out about surviving, embracing and celebrating the […]
Single vs Pre-Married
I walked into church and was greeted by an usher. ‘Hiya Steph,’ he said cheerfully, ‘How’s your love life?’ Oh no. You did not just ask me that. My sarcastic inner voice nearly replied out loud. ‘It’s great. Who are you, by the way?’ This man barely knew me. We were not close, yet he […]
I Wanted A Family
Some of us wanted to have a family. We wanted a partner, children, grandchildren. We wanted to live a life surrounded by our loved ones. It is painful to live without the longed-for family. For single people, longing to find a partner, to love and to be loved by just one person, it can be […]
Is Singledom Temporary?
‘When are you going to get married?’ Society, especially Christians, seem to view singledom as a temporary state. Singles are constantly inundated with questions about their love lives and relationship plans. I remember, when I was single, random strangers would ask invasive questions about blokes on my horizon. Like it was any of their business. […]
God, Are You Deaf?
When I was single, I wondered if God was deaf. I mean, I was praying fervently for a husband. I prayed long. I prayed loud. I prayed often. When fellow Christians suggested I pray more, I was like, “You’re kidding, right?” I was the most praying person around. If my prayers had been money, I […]
You Are Here
Do you remember those theme parks we used to go to as kids? For me it was Australia’s Wonderland. It was a city of wonder indeed, filled with fast rides, and rollercoasters, and water rides, and chilled rides, and fairy floss, and every other kind of kiddie delight. That place was a maze. It had […]
Surviving Valentine’s Day
Ugh. Not another Valentine’s Day. The Day when all romance is celebrating in a seemingly never-ending stream of chocolates, red roses and plush teddies holding cute little love hearts. Makes me wanna barf. (And I am its target demographic. Go figure.) And it is not just the rampant commercialism. Sure, I hate the overflow of […]