Emily Stimpson’s new book, The Catholic Girl’s Survival Guide for the Single Years: The Nuts and Bolts of Staying Sane and Happy While Waiting for Mr. Right might seem like an odd choice for my reading list.
Believe me, no one was more surprised than I was when I put my novel down for a couple of days so that I could turn the pages faster. (And it was a good novel!) You could have never told me that not only would I love this book, I would mark passages, dogear pages, and want to share it with a lot of women, both married and single.
The topic of being single is a chapter in Hallie Lord’s Style, Sex, and Substance, and it might seem to be overdone in an entire book.
Until, that is, you consider that being single isn’t always (a) what we choose, (b) what we want, or (c) easy.
It’s easy for me, in the throes of life with little kids and family craziness, to see the grass on the single side of the fence as greener and far more lush. I fail to remember, though, the many women I know who do, in fact, long for the very state of life that has me pulling out my hair.
Sometimes, Stimpson reminds us, being single isn’t a choice we’re happy with. Sometimes, she nudges, singles need friends, too, and an invitation to be part of the craziness that constitutes life in the throes of family life.
I’m grateful for the glimpse she so candidly shared. It made me evaluate my own state in life and appreciate the things that I maybe gloss over, ignore, or just tend to complain about. It also caused me to consider how I can better involve my single friends into my life—how can I be a better friend and support for them?
This book is a great example of the wisdom of women speaking to women. We women need each other. It is so easy to get catty and critical, but here we have awesome examples of a book that builds up Catholic womanhood. Read on!
Sarah Reinhard loves being a Catholic wife and mom. She’s been happily married for eight years and counting, and she and her husband have three children. She has authored a number of books and writes pretty frequently at her blog.
Visit Sarah’s blog: http://SnoringScholar.com/
Check out her books: http://SnoringScholar.com/my-books/
Sarah is on Twitter.
Please help us in our mission to assist readers to integrate their Catholic faith, family and work. Tell your family and friends about this article using both the Share and Recommend buttons below and via email. We value your comments and encourage you to leave your thoughts below. Thank you! – The Editors
