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, marriage, 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 at her daughter. "Don't forget your sisters", she advised, swirling the tea leaves in 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 will still need your sisters. Remember that "sisters" means ALL the women...your girlfriends, your daughters and all your female relatives, too. You'll need other women. Women always do."
'What a funny piece of advise', 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 the young woman listened to her mother. She kept contact with her sisters and made more women friends each year. As the years tumbled by, one after the other, she gradually came to understand that her mom really know what she was talking about. As time and nature work their changer and their mysteries upon a woman, sisters are the mainstays of her life.
After many years of living in this world, here is what I have learned:
Time passes.
Life happens.
Distance separates.
Children grow up and away.
Jobs come and go.
Love waxes and wanes.
Men don't always do what they are 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 girlfriend is never farther away than needing her can reach. When you have to walk that lonesome valley, 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 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, aunts, nieces, cousins and extended family...all bless our lives!
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 and sorrows that lay ahead nor did we know how much we would need each other. Every day, we need each other still. Short and very sweet...there are many angels in the world. Some are sleeping peacefully...some are playing...and one is reading her e-mail at this moment.
Happy Days!
Deborah Ruppert
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