Single and Friendly
A New York Times reporter said, “All of the island’s traditions are summed up and preserved in the Bermuda Botanical Gardens, the lovely 36-acre public garden in the middle of the island that dates back to 1898.” I spent Sabbath afternoon there with the Adult Singles Ministries (ASM), directed by Christine O’Brien. What a great group they are. Facilitator Joanne Furbert led us around the beautiful formal gardens and asked us how what we were observing related to our lives. One of the participants asked me, “Why are you here? You’re married.” I said I am Family Ministries Director of the Bermuda Conference and ASM comes under my portfolio. I said I am the author of Single and Gifted: Making the Most of Your Singleness. And I said married people can learn so much from singles, notwithstanding the fact that many of us will be single again. People spoke about the suspicion that surrounds so-called platonic relations. A single woman said that she doesn’t ask a gentleman to come and fix her ceiling fan because he may one day want a favor from her that she is unwilling to give (if you catch her drift). Somebody said a married woman doesn’t want a single woman around her husband. Another person said she frankly enjoyed male company, on a wholesome level, and if people misinterpret her intentions then that was something they had to deal with. So here’s my question: Can single people have married people as friends – or vice versa?
