Living Alone

This week I’ve been on my own… Karen flew to Boston to attend a FAWCO conference (Federation of American Women’s Clubs Overseas). Some of her friends from the club in Hamburg are there, so this is a great time of reunion for her.

I’m a bit jealous – I’ve never been to Boston and would love to see the city. But in general, I always feel left out if she’s the one who’s away and I’m the one who stays at home. It’s not as if I’m lonely… I have too many people in my life to feel that. But I do feel a kind of aimlessness when I come home at night and no one is here.

It reminds me of something I’ve heard from some of our single friends – especially from the widows and widowers. They tell me that Sunday afternoon is the hardest time of the week for them. That’s because they experience the joy of fellowship at church, but then come home to that empty house or apartment and they feel the full weight of being alone.

If the emptiness hits me emotionally, even though Karen is only gone for a few days, I wonder how some of them feel. Maybe that’s why James writes to us that true religion consists of “visiting orphans and widows in their distress and keeping oneself from being polluted by the world.” In the people-filled and often hectic schedule of my life, it’s too easy to forget how much difference a visit can make.