I received this email today from a dear friend & I've read it before, but found it fitting today as I shared an old memory with a most loved 'sister' via facebook. There have been many great friends who have impacted my life in so many ways over the years. The 'sister' who sent me this email has been a long-distance mentor/friend/confidant for nearly 6 years now as we work together in the same business from opposite sides of the country. While my college 'sister' and I live 14 hours apart & still shared a chuckle about the proper coloring of an amaretto sour.
Just sending out a great big *MUWAH* to all my SISTERS all over the country who have held my hair back while I got sick, let me leave mascara stains on their shirt when I couldn't hold back the tears, patiently taught me to mix an amaretto sour by matching the color of the kitchen appliances, called & sang a favorite song on my voicemail on the day of my colonoscopy, helped me burn the silly paper on the porch step, sent me a bra through the mail via Operation Support, supported my journey and/or walked by my side for 60 miles, gave me the courage to apply for something I figured was a long shot to win, helped me make that difficult call, brought my family a homemade meal during recovery from surgery, opened your home to me for a short or extended stay, or loved my children like your own while babysitting them for them....You all know who you are! Here's to all my 'sisters'--dunno what I'd do without you!
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 mother 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, 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.
No comments:
Post a Comment