FROM A FRIEND...THANKS, LIBBY!

SISTERS

A friend sent this to me.  I send it to you just as she sent it to me....Libby.

To my sisters, who are always such great cheerleaders. Thank 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
Mom really knew what she was talking about. As time and nature work their
changes and their mysteries upon a woman, Sisters are
the main stays 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.

I Love You Today, Peggy!

I Love all of My Sisters out there....... who have supported me in my effort to write about .....

Watching My Sister...Disappear.

Thank You each and every one.

Thank You to all of my Brothers out there.... for the kind words and the support that I have felt from you!

Thank you for walking with me on this journey.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2006!

Mary Louise