In her poem The Summer Day, Mary Oliver asks “What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
I am passionate about many things – – reading, cooking, hiking, service, travel, hanging out with friends, prayer, spirituality, and writing – – to name just a few. I’m not afraid to take risks, and I have very few regrets in life.
I have also known for quite some time that my vocation in life is to live as an intentional single person. I’m not waiting to get married. I’m not biding time until something better comes along.
People occasionally ask “Are you a sister?” (Yes, I am. As a matter of fact, I have two sisters and two brothers as well.) After a grimacing look, the next question is usually, “Are you a nun?” (No … that’s not my calling.)
This is my one single life. I live in Chicago, I work for an amazing Catholic organization, and I also share my time writing and speaking about the spiritual life. It is something I embrace with passion, purpose, intentionality, and a keen awareness of God’s presence. I can’t imagine doing anything else.
I hope these reflections encourage single people to embrace life with this same passion, and I encourage you to ask, “Where is God?” in the midst of all this. It is my desire for each of us that we discover the many ways God is loving us, creating new life through us, and calling each of us to greater care for our surroundings and our community.
We have only one single life! What do you plan to do with yours?
BIOGRAPHY:
Beth Knobbe lives an intentional single life and writes from her home in Chicago. Beth earned a bachelor’s degree from Briar Cliff University and a Master of Divinity degree from Catholic Theological Union. Her extensive ministry experience includes coordinating retreats, facilitating RCIA and Small Faith-Sharing Groups, leading mission trips, and participating in inter-faith dialogue. Beth is the author of Finding My Voice: A Young Woman’s Perspective (St. Anthony Messenger Press, 2009) and Party of One: Living Single with Faith, Purpose, and Passion (St. Anthony Messenger Press, 2011).
Beth can be reached at bethknobbe @ aol.com .
Beth M. Knobbe 