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 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.
    
    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. Every day, we need each other still.