When would it finally be my turn? When would I be able to finally have a home of my own?

W

hoa. I couldn’t believe it. Never in a million years did I think that I would be the girl to date first out of all her friends.

But here I was with my friends, barely back from seminary, having a party deciding which outfit I should wear and which shoes go with it. We had to decide how to wear my hair and how much makeup was enough makeup but not too much.

My friend Malki left me a big mug full of chocolates as she left my house. I was giddy with excitement.

For about five seconds. Back then I didn’t know the shidduch lingo. Now I know that it was a DOA (dead on arrival). What a bummer of a date.

Maybe I was disappointed. But it also gave me a certain level of confidence. I wasn’t the orphan that no one wanted to date. That boy wasn’t for me. But I would find the one that was for me.

It was just one boy. All I needed was one boy. That is what I told myself three years and many dates later. Many of my friends were married. Some were even expecting their second child already.

And once again it was Mrs. Schonfeld that guided me through the process. She spent countless hours on the phone with me. We discussed my dates and how to go forward. She encouraged me and constantly reminded me that I could do hishtadlus, but the results weren’t up to me.