@Citrine -thanks for your post!
Everything you say is true. So many of us single sisters have learned to carry their load, be examples for younger single ones. - At the same time they must never be envious of sisters with loving families. - After all ' we had a large spiritual family - right?' ( only for a lot of us it was all pretend) In reality, if you weren't the one doing the reaching out, - it just didn't get done.
We had to be strong or we knew we wouldn't survive spiritually, emotionally, etc. in the cong. - Sometimes in car groups - it seemed it was alright for married sisters to complain about their husbands,and feel sorry for herself a little bit, but a single sister would not dare open her mouth to lament about loneliness, or you would be viewed as weak spiritually, - or even worse, - after their husbands. LOL. [ It was like walking a tight rope]
We had to act like good little 'spiritual robots' - until that's exactly what we became. And we either did it, or .......
So we hung on to the 'dream world' - even though we knew we didn't fit
'in with the in crowd'
We weren't supposed to have any needs either, so - you know what? - We didn't!
- and then for some of the more fortunate ones woke up!
The whole covid thing exposed the gb for who they actually were.
- and we were set free. And even if we have no family, and are
' soft shunned' - we can at last become a human being.
It's a start, 🙂 - and age doesn't matter, - all the time that has past doesn't matter, - it's starting over that counts,
Talking to our neighbors [ not preaching, just visiting] , enjoying hobbies,
People are so much more open to discuss the scriptures, when we're not pushing the org on them.
We can have a life of our own, and it's worth what ever it costs.