Remember your sisters!

[magnolia]

A young wife sat on a sofa on a hot humid day, drinking iced tea and
visiting with her mother. As they talked about relationships, 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 grown-up! 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, Auntie's, 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.