Update

Salaam,

it's been a while.

It seems that there are some potential rishtas on the horizon. One is from a matchmaking site, and seems ok so far - I don't know a huge amount about him, but he seems like a normal person with religious views etc in alignment with my own, and planning to meet in the holidays. Plus my mum has been in contact with a new matchmaking lady, and one of my Dad's old friends has suggested someone for me too.

Recently though, on one of the matchmaking sites, I encountered a string of creeps and weirdos, their antics including sending lots of selfies, insistenly and repeatedly asking for full length pictures of me and asking my weight :/

I recently was talking to an 'auntie' (ie woman older than me that's not a relative) around the same age as my mum, just about general things, then the topic came round to her looking for a job at the moment, which then turned to her telling me she is currently going through a divorce, (partly) because she found out after 25 years of marriage that her husband secretly had another wife in Pakistan. The auntie is now a single mother on benefits :(. I just can't stop thinking about her, which is good in a way because it makes me pray for her. It was her calm demeanour, and her 'no, no, it's alright' when I said I was sorry to hear of it that struck me. I think part of the reason for her being able to put such a brave face on it is that she has dedicated her life to other people, and learning and teaching her faith, and isn't stopping despite what she's going through. I pray that Allah swt heals her heart and makes her children the coolness of her eyes and a source of sadaqa jaariya (continuous reward) for her, and rewards her abundantly for her patience and all that she's gone through (ameen). Please make dua for her too.