Dating & Relationships

Have you ever suggested someone you know should meet another someone you know because they might get along? A casual drink and a chat. An hour of their lives. Ten minutes if it’s utterly awful and they can claim to have had a vision of the end times and leg it without looking back.

Every relationship is different but here are some questions I think are worth asking to help you decide whether your relationship is a healthy one…

As a photographer for twelve years, I’ve had my fair share of taking thousands of photos from people in a multitude of settings. Looking through the lens, I see something unique about their personality and characteristics.

Browsing the messages in my dating website inbox, I opened one from a new chap – and was taken aback by his opening line. ‘Dear HopefulGirl,’ he wrote. ‘Your profile leaves a lot to be desired.’

‘Crumbs,’ I thought, ‘that’s a bit harsh! Why email me just to tell me that?!’

If you spend time among Christians, especially those who are single and dating, some of these may be very familiar:

John Lennon’s Imagine is a classic song, immediately recognisable by most people in the Western world. Rolling Stone magazine named it the third best song of all time.

The song starts, “Imagine there’s no heaven, it’s easy if you try”. It may be easy to imagine there’s no heaven. But for Christians, it isn’t easy to picture what heaven will be like either.

My friends Cris and Sam had been planning their home purchase for months, and finally, after looking at several houses, they found a lovely home that seemed like the perfect fit. They negotiated with the seller, signed a contract, and began making settlement plans. But first, they had to do the inspection.

‘I don’t know what to make of it, HopefulGirl,’ said the email. ‘I’ve been chatting to this lovely man online every day for months now, and he seems keen on me – but whenever I suggest meeting up, he finds an excuse not to. What’s going on?’