I am a woman who was married for 15 years. Unfortunately, my husband left me for another woman, my best friend. Recently I have found myself drawn to a friend who has entered my heart.

He is a very God-loving individual, a friend always there in my adversities. In him I find almost all the qualities of an ideal man, yet I sense a despair in myself that is hard to explain. Why? Because this man is a priest! How do you explain my attraction to him, and how do I know what I feel is something else?

Geneva


Geneva, each generation of adolescent girls goes crazy over male pop idols. These young men usually have a vulnerable, non-threatening quality, and the girls coo over them as they might coo over a puppy. Twenty years ago it was Michael Jackson, more recently it is any number of boy bands.

It is not surprising that you are drawn to this priest. He is caring, empathetic, and everything your husband was not. He will never let you down. It is his vocation. In a sense, he is like the "starter males" teenage girls pine for. He is a man who is totally safe.

But being excessively close to him is not likely to be good for either of you. When you are ready for a man for yourself, remember the qualities you didn't find in your husband, and look for the qualities you admire in your priest.

Wayne