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Put the word "loneliness" on a blank page or a note card. Think about it, and then write the answer to the question: "What does loneliness mean to me?" You may be surprised at what you write down.

Types of loneliness

Several different types of loneliness exist.

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The government of China wanted my baby dead. Was it because she was the second born or because she was a girl? Because a political directive in China allows only one child per family, she could have been aborted or received a saline injection into her skull after birth to end life just seconds after she took her first breath.

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To my family, whom I love,

I know that this letter is too long in coming. Maybe you won't agree with or appreciate what you will read, but I think it is important that I try to explain why it has taken me so long to begin my recovery. I need you to understand what I see as important to happen for me to remain in recovery. So, here goes.

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"Hey, Mom."

"Peter! I was hoping you'd call today. How's it going?"

"Interesting. My unit got their orders to go to Kuwait."

Tears welled up in my eyes, my heart was in my mouth, and I choked out the only words I was able to say, "Talk to Dad. I can't right now."

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I first met Julia over the phone. She was helping her two-year-old daughter onto the potty chair. Now I thought that walking and talking or cooking and talking were accomplishments, but I suppose only parents can be true multitasking experts.

"I am a single parent and don't know what it is like to have a second set of hands around to help me," Julia shares.

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Celebration? Joy?

Sometimes these words are far from the mind of a young mother who feels the beginning of life in her womb. Rather, because this new life is the result of her sin, she may have an overwhelming sense of shame, guilt, and regret that makes life miserable and hardly worth living.

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Ever noticed that in school, particularly public high school, it's just not cool to be a Christian?

Being a light for Christ is a real struggle in situations like biology class, when the theory of evolution is being crammed down everyone's throat and God is unheard of. Perhaps it's even harder to be a Christian witness while just hanging out with friends.

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"Hi, my name is Rhoda. I'm 36, and I'm single."

"Hi, Rhoda!"

Did you ever feel like you should be in a 12-step program to be "cured" of being single? Being single is a little like being a leper. We are able to attend the same church as the married people, but we're not quite complete members of the community. I may be the first to tell you, but being single is not a disease.

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"I'm sure glad I'm past that," my wife comments when we see a mother wrestling with her crying baby in a store.

"Look at all those people hurrying off to work," my husband chuckles as we head out for a leisurely breakfast.

For so long we look forward to retirement. Then one day it's here. Now what?

A time for togetherness

<p>"I'm sure glad I'm past that," my wife comments when we see a mother wrestling with her crying baby in a store.</p> <p>"Look at all those people hurrying off to work," my husband chuckles as we head out for a leisurely breakfast.</p> <p>For so long we look forward to retirement. Then one day it's here. Now what?</p> <p><strong>A time for togetherness</strong></p> <p><em>He says:</em> All these years I've been reading the morning paper at night.</p>

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"Your son cannot learn at our school. You need to take him to the public school." I was shocked. Drew could converse like any normal third-grade child. He organized play at the playground. Now we were being told he was a special needs child.

A second shock came after we transferred schools. Public education also failed to educate Drew.