Women

and Girlfriends

I sat on the porch on a summer day, drinking iced tea and visiting with my Mother. As we talked about life, about marriage, about the responsibilities and the obligations of adulthood, my mother clinked the ice cubes in her glass thoughtfully and turned a clear, sober glance in my direction.

"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 also your sisters, your daughters, and other relatives too. You'll need other women, women always do."

What a funny piece of advice, I 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, and 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, I kept in contact with my girlfriends. As the years tumbled by, one after another, I gradually became aware that my 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.

Here is what I learned about girlfriends:

Girlfriends bring you casseroles and scrub your bathroom when you need help.
Girlfriends keep your children and keep your secrets.
Girlfriends give advice when you ask for it. Sometimes you take it, sometimes you don't.
Girlfriends don't always tell you that you're right, but they're usually honest.
Girlfriends still love you, even when they don't agree with your choices.
Girlfriends laugh with you, and you don't need canned jokes to start The laughter.
Girlfriends pull you out of jams.
Girlfriends help you get out of bad relationships.
Girlfriends help you look for a new apartment, help you pack, and help you move.
Girlfriends will give a party for your son or daughter when they get married or have a baby, in whichever order that comes!
Girlfriends are there for you, in an instant when the hard times come.

Girlfriends will drive through blizzards, rainstorms, hail, heat, and the gloom of night to get to you when your hour of need is desperate.

Girlfriends listen when you loose a job or a friend.
Girlfriends listen when your children break your heart.
Girlfriends listen when your parent's minds and bodies fail.
Girlfriends cry with you when someone you love dies.
Girlfriends support you when the men in your life let you down.
Girlfriends rejoice at what makes you happy, and are ready to go out and kill what makes you unhappy.

Time passes. Life happens. Distance separates. Children grow up. Marriages fail. 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 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.

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.

~~
Isn't that great!?? Just a little deep thinking for the women out there.
I received this from my Mom. I passed it on to my best friends. I make sure to them that I love them on a regular basis. You never know when something might happen. Their always there when I need them. I wouldn't be anywhere else if they needed me.
To all the girlfriends out there, you are appreciated!
Crazy Lady

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