I sat under an oak tree in Wyoming on a summer day,
drinking iced tea and visiting with my mother.
"Don't forget your girlfriends", Mother advised,
clinking the ice cubes in her glass.
"No matter how much you love your husband,
you are still going to need girlfriends.
Remember to go places with them now and then;
and do things with them, even when you don't necessarily want to
And remember that girlfriends are not only friends,
but sisters, daughters, mothers, grandmothers and other relatives too.
Women supporting and relating to other women is our responsibility and our gift.
"What a funny piece of advice," I thought.
"Hadn't I just gotten married?
Hadn't I just joined the couple-world?
I was now a married woman, for goodness sake, not some young girl who needed friends!"

But I listened to my Mom.
I kept in contact with my girlfriends
and even found some new ones along the way.
As the years tumbled by, one after another,
I gradually came to understand that
Mom really knew what she was talking about!
Here is what I know about girlfriends:
girlfriends bring casseroles and scrub your bathroom when you need help
girlfriends keep your children and your secrets
girlfriends give advice when you ask,
sometimes you take it and sometimes you don't
girlfriends don't always tell you you're right,
but they usually tell the truth
girlfriends still love you,
even when they disagree with your choices
girlfriends laugh with you
and don't need canned jokes to start the laughter
girlfriends pull you out of jams
girlfriends don't keep a calendar of
who hosted the other's last big party
girlfriends will celebrate for your son or daughter
when they get married or have a baby,
in whichever order that happens
girlfriends are there for you in an instant,
and when the hard times come
girlfriends listen when you lose a job or a friend
girlfriends listen when your children break your heart
girlfriends listen when your parents' minds and bodies fail

My daughters, sisters, family, and friends bless my life!
When we began this adventure,
we had no idea of the incredible joys or
sorrows that lay ahead.
Nor did we know how much we would need each other.....

Pass this on to your girlfriends/sisters/daughters... I just did!
12/18/2003