Saturday, January 06, 2007

The Importance of Sisters

One of my "Buddies" emailed this to me, and I LOVE it! It's so true, and it reminds me that my girlfriends are so important to me...blog buddies included!

This picture is of The Buddies, taken a year ago on our annual weekend away...this time a cruise to Mexico. These girls are amazing friends to me, and my life would be missing something BIG without them!






The Importance of 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.
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.

5 comments:

Angel said...

Weekend away? With just you and friends? I never have had that. From college, to hubby's law school to still working to having kids..... life is flying by.

Good for you, though. It' looked like an awesome time!!!

Sally said...

We've been doing our getaways for 15 years! Sometimes a couple girls can't make it, but for the most part everyone makes it a priority to show up. We sometimes have a couple nursing babies tagging along, but at least we still go. You gotta just do it!

I'm so thankful for those girls. They're the only people I keep in touch with from high school.

Angel said...

I have never in my life had that many friends... ever. That is awesome!!! I think it's great you all make time for that and even BETTER when the nursing babies tag along sometimes! That is awesome. What a great picture. I can't imagine having that many friends let along being friends with them for 15 years... it's just unheard of for me.

Sally said...

I think we've been friends for so long now that we're like a family...no one has the option anymore to NOT show...that would be like your pesky little sis not coming to Thanksgiving. *grin*

That sounds silly, but I think it's pretty much true...we hold each other accountable to this group, and we have LONG since passed the point where an individual wonders if she wants out or not. *BIG grin*

And these girls aren't my only friends, in fact, I don't talk to most of them regularly...but when we all finally get together at least once a year, it's like we just saw each other the day before...we just pick up where we left off.

And THANK GOD for email and cell phones, otherwise, I would talk to them even less!

10 girls in a group is a little rare, but I hope you have at least one great girlfriend close to you, Dramamama...I couldn't live without my chicas!

maddie said...

that's so great that you have such a big group of friends that all know each other so well. i have about as many close friends, but they are all from different times in my life and have only met a few times. but, i am so thankful for all of them and try to get together with them as much as posiable as well. speaking of which, we have to get together soon too! ;)