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.