The teachers I meet with in Wednesday’s night class always have something original to offer.  I generally learn something new.  I am the only woman in the class--I’m sure they don’t think from my perspective. 

But one of the men said something interesting.  He noted that when Job’s wife told him, “Curse God and die,” that she had lost everything.  All of her children, her husband’s wealth, her position in the community due to Job being outcast due to his boils, and her future.  And one more thing...

I offered one more thing that men don’t experience as often as women do--and that is a need for protection.  In today’s world women are more independent, but for all our feelings of competence, men are bigger, stronger, more aggressive and more capable of interaction in war.  We’ve seen that with the inclusion of women in our military forces.  They--for the most part--aren’t capable of lugging the wounded off the front lines.

I consider myself independent, self sufficient and capable.  But in a fight, or if I have an intruder, I want  a man.

Another thing I have missed since Ken died is the feeling, the confidence, that someone has my back.  I feel alone in certain situations.  I don’t know how men feel when they lose their partner, but they don’t seem to need that kind of protection.  They need someone to cook for them.  The older “alone” men in our church seem to love the pot luck dinners we have more than any other service of the church.

I could be wrong.  I just liked it better with a man in the house.  Or maybe it was just that it was Ken.....