Friday, July 14, 2006

Remember the singles ward

Sue and Jeff came to visit yesterday, fellow escapes from the Jay Ence singles ward.
For those of you who have been spared the wacky indignity that is an LDS Single’s ward, let me just explain it is the a strange phenomena employed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to force young men and women of a certain age (past high school, pre death) who have not yet married to play Volley Ball together until they just can’t stand it anymore and pair up.
DH and I did, in fact, met in a singles ward. We were introduced when my friend, Sandra went in to talk to the leader of this collection of loons to complain that all the good men were married. As DH quickly followed Sandra to discuss something else, this esteemed leader arranged a blind date between DH and Sandra.
Their date didn’t work. But she discovered he was quirky in the same way our little group was quirky ~ he liked sci-fi ~ she invited him to join us in our weekly gathering. To yes, I confess, watch “Star Trek, The Next Generation.”
Eventually members of this nerd group ended up marrying each other. One of the great shocks was when Rita ~ resident prude, married Woody ~ token wild man. They are now living happily together in her parent’s home raising their child. He has finally graduated from college and is working a new job.
Sue married Jeff, who was single, and then married, than divorced within the space of two years in the singles ward. Eventually Sue and Jeff found each other. Sue is a complete workaholic, but has retired at the age of 50 from her job as an administrator of the special ed program in the Washington County School district.
They don’t have children, but they have a mortgage free new house they just purchased in the Ogden, Utah area near her mother.
Sandra eventually married Ray. After several years of battling infertility, they have three children; two of them were born very close together.
And DH and I are settled in with our two children, a mortgage and a cat.
It’s fun every now and then to visit with our fellow singles ward refugees and remember those days of working in a community garden, taking houseboat trips on Lake Powell, and watching Bishop Ence sitting in on the stand, mentally pairing everyone up.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your description of a singles ward makes me very happy I was never in one. Or maybe I was. I guess all the wards at BYU were singles wards in a sense. Sometimes I think singlehood would be a very fine thing. Sometimes not.

Anonymous said...

I wasn't in a SW but I meet my DW at a singles activity does that count? Take good care of the Sorenson bunch when they come your way. Thanks for puting up with them and puting them up.

Anonymous said...

I also met my husband in a SW. He was a bit old for a SW. Cut off is 35 yrs. He was 50. Oh well. Singles Wards are a bit looney. But I guess they have a place.

Anonymous said...

Al- My DH & I met at a Singles Ward in Virginia Beach...playing Volleyball!!! Yup, it's true. Although he was a mere 18 and I was 28 at the time, we became fast friends and 4 years later started actually dating when we couldn't find anyone else for eachother. 12 years later we are still together.

Thanks for the memories...
hugs-Peg