This week’s Thought From Penny comes from my wonderful speaker-friend and Bounce Back Buddy, Jane Jenkins Herlong’s blog.
“On a hot, humid summer day, a young wife sat on the porch drinking sweet tea and visiting with her mother. As they talked about life, about marriage and about the responsibilities and the obligations of adulthood, her mother swirled the ice cubes in her glass and turned a clear, sober glance upon her daughter…
‘Don’t forget your sisters;’ she advised, ‘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 women…. your girlfriends, your daughters, and all your women relatives too.’
‘What a funny piece of advice!’ the young woman thought. ‘Haven’t I just gotten married? Haven’t I just joined the couples-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 took her mother’s advice to heart, stayed in contact with her sisters and made more women friends each year. As the years tumbled by, one after another, she gradually came to understand her mother really knew what she was talking about. Today, after more than 50 years of living in this world, here is what she has learned:
‘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… there 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 … are girlfriends. Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk beside you or come in and carry you out. No matter how much time and how many miles are between you, a girlfriend is never farther away than needing her can reach.’
‘When we began this adventure called womanhood, we had no idea what incredible joys or sorrows lay ahead. Nor did we know how much we would need each other.’
‘We may have to walk some lonesome valleys by ourselves, but the women in our lives – daughters, granddaughters, daughters-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law, mothers, grandmother, aunties, nieces, cousins, and extended family – will bless and strengthen us as we make the journey.’ ”
Reply below with your girlfriend moments.
And thank you for being my friend,
Penny
