>Thank you for being my "sister"
>To all of my Sisters, with my love!
>A "sister" passed this on to me and I wanted to send it to you, too.
>
>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. And remember that "Sisters" also means your
>girlfriends, your daughters, and 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 in 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.
>
>
>
>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.
>Colleagues forget favors.
>Men don't call when they say they will.
>
>BUT Sisters are there,
>
>no matter how much time
>
>and how many miles are between you.
>
>A Sister 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 Sisters 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, sister, sister-in-laws, and "girlfriends", 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.