Oh my, my, my. I’ll have to make this a quick one.

1. I’m a scaredy-cat, so if I write quickly I won’t change my mind.

2. I’m tired.

Edited: I was tired because I was writing at 2 am.

I feel like I’ve written a different version of this blog 1000 times. If you don’t like it, click it closed.🤦🏼‍♀️Sorry… I promise I don’t have a “tude”… just being me. I just have to write this for myself and I really believe someone else needs to read it. I might fall flat on my face or maybe I’m preaching to a crowd…OR maybe I’ll have a reaction like a comedian that gets a clap from one person because he/she feels sorry for the comedian. I don’t know. This is real and no Shakespeare or Emily what’s-her-name fancy jargon. I can do that another time.

I was lonelier than I’d ever been yesterday.

Did I make that clear? Pretty sure someone is feeling awkward right now. You can read or leave. Gosh. My Southern charm isn’t enough today. I don’t know how else to say it. Ever have some friends or close family over and it’s really loud and boisterous? Then they leave and it’s too quiet? Yeah, sometimes I feel like that. Don’t you? Or maybe you’re surrounded by people all the time and yet you still feel lonely. It happens to the strongest of us. I never intentionally leave out the “men folk”. Anyone can struggle with this issue.

Raise your hand if you’re single. No kids? Divorced? Widowed? Any moms? Any single moms? Married moms? Moms to teens? Moms to toddlers? Moms to teens and toddlers? Moms to a child with special needs? Stay at home moms? Working single woman? Working moms? If you’re human, you will experience loneliness at some point. Interestingly, I’ve experienced it both while physically being alone and also while surrounded by people, noise, and activity.

My eldest is about to go off to college and he’s been spending lots of time with friends. My daughter likes to either be with friends or go to her room and paint. My toddler is incessantly following me around (even to the bathroom). I ADORE the fact he’s my shadow.. I know I’ll miss it one day, but there’s something to be said for a little adult interaction. My husband and older son (the graduate) spend lots of time on baseball “stuff” and other guy things. We live “out”, so I can’t just walk down the road to a friend’s house.

So last night I allowed all these thoughts and feelings of loneliness get to me. “You’ll never have enough friends.” “You’re family is too busy for you.” “You’re going to feel this way forever.” I prayed a simple prayer. It wasn’t wordy or long. It wasn’t worthy of some devotional book. But it was sincere. I simply asked God to give me peace. And He did. Peace isn’t the absence of pain. It’s the assurance that we are not alone in our pain. If you are struggling right now with loneliness , please remember…..

God is there when:

Your teens would rather hang out with their friends and you sincerely miss them.

Your husband is asleep, but you would like to have an adult conversation (because you’ve talked to kids all day).

You’re doing the parenting thing alone as a single parent (or it’s mostly on you).

Your friends can “adult” but you couldn’t get a sitter.

You felt “left-out” by people.

People said unkind or untrue things about you.

You’re sitting at church and your family is at home.

The group of women standing there didn’t invite you to stand with them.

Your family lives far away.

You parent a child that has special needs and other parents don’t necessarily understand.

Your child/children are running from what you’ve taught to be right.

It’s TOO quiet in the house and you have too much time to overthink (this is my 2 am problem 😂).

But you aren’t alone.

God is ever present.

He is always there, especially when you feel most alone.

He said He would never leave or forsake us.

And he won’t. He is ever-present. Even when we feel alone. And He hears our simple prayers…even at 2 a.m.