October – The Noah Syndrome

mishpacha

Cynthia
I know that although they want me present and consider me part of the family, they are all wondering “What’s wrong with her? Why isn’t she married?”

Ella Alone
People would often ask me if things were getting better… We get better when we recover from an illness, but we do not recover after losing a partner who never comes back, as our health hopefully does.”

Hannah
I would constantly explain that I could not attend evening committee meetings or adult-only programs because I did not have a spouse who could stay at home. When it was suggested that I find a babysitter, I would be in the awkward position of explaining that as a single-income family, babysitters were a treat reserved for special occasions.

Madelyn
After the excitement of having us around wore off and the routine set in, reality hit me: I was a single woman in a good-sized family that until that point was mostly all couples.