To the Diamond...
This is from my dear friend Alex....so very very true! XoXo I love the Diamond.
GIRLFRIENDS:
A young wife sat on a porch in Waycross, Georgia on a summer 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
girlfriends," 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'll have, you
are still going to need girlfriends. Remember to go places with them now and
then; do things with them. And remember that "girlfriends" are not only
your friends, but also your sisters, your daughters, and other 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, not a young girl who needs girlfriends!
Surely my husband and the family we'll start will be all I need to make my
life worthwhile! But she listened to her mother; she kept contact with her
girlfriends and made more 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, girlfriends are the mainstays of her life. After 50 years of
living in this world, here is what I know about girlfriends:
Girlfriends bring you casseroles and scrub your bathroom when you need
help.
Girlfriends keep your children and keep your secrets.
Girlfriends give advice when you ask for it. Sometimes you take it,
sometimes you don't.
Girlfriends don't always tell you that you're right, but they're usually
honest.
Girlfriends still love you, even when they don't agree with your choices.
Girlfriends laugh with you, and you don't need canned jokes to start the
laughter.
Girlfriends pull you out of jams.
Girlfriends help you get out of bad relationships.
Girlfriends help you look for a new apartment, help you pack, and help you
move.
Girlfriends will give a party for your son or daughter when they get
married or have a baby, in whichever order that comes!
Girlfriends are there for you, in an instant and when the hard times come.
Girlfriends will drive through blizzards, rainstorms, hail, heat, and
gloom of night to get to you when your hour of need is desperate.
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.
Girlfriends cry with you when someone you love dies.
Girlfriends support you when the men in your life let you down.
Girlfriends help you pick up the pieces when men pack up and go.
Girlfriends rejoice at what makes you happy, and are ready to go out and
kill what makes you unhappy.
Time passes. Life happens. Distance separates. Children grow up.
Marriages fail. Love waxes and wanes. Hearts break. Careers end. Jobs come
and go. Parents die. Colleagues forget favors. Men don't call when they say
they will. But girlfriends are there, no matter how much time and how many
miles are between you. A girlfriend is never farther away than needing her
can reach. When you have to walk that lonesome valley by yourself, your
girlfriends 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. My
daughter, sister, sisters-in-law, mother-in-law, nieces, cousins, extended
family, and friends bless my life! The world wouldn't be the same without
them, 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.
GIRLFRIENDS:
A young wife sat on a porch in Waycross, Georgia on a summer 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
girlfriends," 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'll have, you
are still going to need girlfriends. Remember to go places with them now and
then; do things with them. And remember that "girlfriends" are not only
your friends, but also your sisters, your daughters, and other 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, not a young girl who needs girlfriends!
Surely my husband and the family we'll start will be all I need to make my
life worthwhile! But she listened to her mother; she kept contact with her
girlfriends and made more 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, girlfriends are the mainstays of her life. After 50 years of
living in this world, here is what I know about girlfriends:
Girlfriends bring you casseroles and scrub your bathroom when you need
help.
Girlfriends keep your children and keep your secrets.
Girlfriends give advice when you ask for it. Sometimes you take it,
sometimes you don't.
Girlfriends don't always tell you that you're right, but they're usually
honest.
Girlfriends still love you, even when they don't agree with your choices.
Girlfriends laugh with you, and you don't need canned jokes to start the
laughter.
Girlfriends pull you out of jams.
Girlfriends help you get out of bad relationships.
Girlfriends help you look for a new apartment, help you pack, and help you
move.
Girlfriends will give a party for your son or daughter when they get
married or have a baby, in whichever order that comes!
Girlfriends are there for you, in an instant and when the hard times come.
Girlfriends will drive through blizzards, rainstorms, hail, heat, and
gloom of night to get to you when your hour of need is desperate.
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.
Girlfriends cry with you when someone you love dies.
Girlfriends support you when the men in your life let you down.
Girlfriends help you pick up the pieces when men pack up and go.
Girlfriends rejoice at what makes you happy, and are ready to go out and
kill what makes you unhappy.
Time passes. Life happens. Distance separates. Children grow up.
Marriages fail. Love waxes and wanes. Hearts break. Careers end. Jobs come
and go. Parents die. Colleagues forget favors. Men don't call when they say
they will. But girlfriends are there, no matter how much time and how many
miles are between you. A girlfriend is never farther away than needing her
can reach. When you have to walk that lonesome valley by yourself, your
girlfriends 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. My
daughter, sister, sisters-in-law, mother-in-law, nieces, cousins, extended
family, and friends bless my life! The world wouldn't be the same without
them, 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.