The Singles Ward

Does this word give you the heebie jeebies like it does to me? It just makes me think about all the awkward guys giving old pick up lines to girls who have no idea what they've gotten themselves into. It's full of over eager young men and women just trying to find that "special someone" for eternity. I think that they got it right in this movie:

Ya, remember this?! Spot on.

Now don't get me wrong, I love the singles ward. I admit to the fact of participating in all the "meat market" activities and throwing out some lame compliments myself. Sometimes I call myself the awkward one. The first singles ward I went to down here was a college ward and was nothing short of a terrible experience. I felt completely out of place. I was even shafted by people I tried to talk to. Needless to say, I didn't go back. Then I started going to another YSA ward, and it was exactly the opposite. It reminded me of my old South Mountain 12th Singles Ward, and I immediately felt right at home. I felt comfortable because it didn't feel like a competition, or a high school reunion. It was just a bunch of young singles (older I might add, than the usual college wards) trying to gain some spiritual understanding. There was a different level of maturity and friendliness that didn't exist in the other ward. The only set back, is that like every other singles ward...I might have to be thrown into the dating world once again. (Uh oh. I kinda was hoping to be invisible to the opposite sex for awhile.) For some reason, I just really don't want to have to go through that, right now, down here. Blah.

I am grateful to all of those that went out of their way to make me feel comfortable. I feel like they want me at church and that's a great feeling. So next time you see that lonely someone sitting on a bench by themselves, try going out of your way to make them feel at home. I know that I'm going to try to be better at it.