Girlfriends

I received this story in an email and thought that it was worth passing on.

To My Sisters:

A young wife sat on a sofa on a hot humid day, drinking iced

tea and visiting with her Mother. As they talked about life, about marriage, about the responsibilities of life and the obligations of adulthood, the mother clinked the ice cubes in her glass thoughtfully

and

turned a clear, sober glance upon her daughter. "Don't forget your Sisters," she advised, swirling the tea leaves to the bottom of her

glass.

"They'll be more important as you get older. No matter how much you

love

your husband, no matter how much you love the children you may have,

you

are still going to need Sisters. Remember to go places with them now

and

then; do things with them. "Remember that 'Sisters' means ALL the

women...

Your girlfriends, your daughters, and all your other women relatives

too.

"You'll need other women. Women always do." What a funny piece of advice!' the young woman thought. Haven't I

just

gotten married? Haven't I just joined the couple-world? I'm now a

married

woman, for goodness sake! A grownup! Surely my husband and the family

we

may start will be all I need to make my life worthwhile!' But she

listened

to her Mother. She kept contact with her Sisters and made more women friends each year. As the years tumbled by, one after another, she gradually came to understand that her Mom really knew what she was

talking

about. As time and nature work their changes and their mysteries upon

a

woman, Sisters are the mainstays of her life. After more than 50 years of living in this world, here is what I've learned: THIS SAYS IT ALL: Time passes. Life happens. Distance

separates.

Children grow up. Jobs come and go. Love waxes and wanes. Men don't

do what

they're supposed to do. Hearts break. Parents die. Colleagues forget favors. Careers end. BUT......... Sisters are there, no matter how

much

time and how many miles are between you. A girl friend is never

farther

away than needing her can reach. When you have to walk that lonesome

valley

and you have to walk it by yourself, the women in your life will be

on the

valley's rim, cheering you on, praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on your behalf, and waiting with open arms at the

valley's end.

Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk beside you...Or

come in

and carry you out. Girlfriends, daughters, granddaughters, daughters-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law, Mothers, Grandmothers,

aunties,

nieces, cousins, and extended family, all bless our life! The world wouldn't be the same without women, and neither would I.

When we

began this adventure called womanhood, we had no idea of the

incredible

joys or sorrows that lay ahead. Nor did we know how much we would

need each

other. Every day, we need each other still.

I feel so blessed to have so many wonderful "sisters" in my life. This picture is of my very best friends Heidi and Carrie. I treasure the friendship that we have had since elementary school. I apologize for the quality of the picture, I don't have a scanner so I took a picture of the picture and this is as good as it got. This picture was taken about 10 years ago. (Check out Heidi's six pack!)