"Sisters" and Girlfriends
(an e-mail from a friend)

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 in your life, your girlfriends, your daughters, and all your women relatives. 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! A grown-up! Surely my husband and the family we will 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 Mother 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 40 years of living in this world, here is what I have learned:

• Time passes.
• Life happens.
• Distance separates.
• Children grow up.
• Jobs come and go.
• Love waxes and wanes.
• Men don't always do what we think they are suppose 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 girlfriend 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, 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!

Girlfriends, daughters, grand daughters, daughters-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law, Mothers, Grandmothers, aunties, nieces, cousins and extended family, all bless our life!

My world wouldn't be the same without these women and neither would I. When we began this adventure called womanhood, we had no idea of the incredible joys and sorrows that lay ahead. Nor did we know how much we would need each other. Everyday, we need each other still.

From me: I have already found many special, creative, strong, wonderful and sometimes struggling, lonely and challenged women in the blog world. When I recieved this writing on e-mail, I thought you would enjoy it! Keep the faith and take care of each other.....