To my girlfriends!
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 girlfriends," 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'll have, you are still going to need girlfriends. Remember to go
places with
them now and then; do things with them. And remember that "girlfriends"
are
not only your friends, but your sisters, your daughters, and other
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, not a young girl who needs
girlfriends!
Surely my husband and the family we'll start will be all I need to make my
life
worthwhile!'
But she listened to her Mother; she kept contact with her girlfriends and made more 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, girlfriends are the mainstays of her life.
After 50 years of living in this world, here is what I've learned:
Times passes.
Life happens.
Distance separates.
Children grow up.
Love waxes and wanes.
Hearts break.
Careers end.
Jobs come and go.
Parents die.
Colleagues forget favors.
Men don't call when they say they will.
BUT girlfriends 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 for yourself, your girlfriends 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. My mother, sisters-in-law, mother-in-law, aunties, nieces, cousins, extended family, and friends
bless my life!
The world wouldn't be the same without them, 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.
Pass this on to the women who help make your life work.
I just did.
