saw this in a mail..


a young wife sat on a sofa on a hot humid day, drinking iced tea
>>>>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 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 yrs of living in this world, here is what I know about
>>>>girlfriends:
>>>>
>>>>Girlfriends bring you chicken curry and scrub your bathroom when
>>>>you needhelp.
>>>>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 loved 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.
>>>>
>>>>Times passes.
>>>>Life happens.
>>>>Distance separates.
>>>>Children grow up.
>>>>Love waxes and wanes.
>>>>Hearts break.
>>>>Careers end.
>>>>Jobs come and go.
>>>>Parents die.
>>>>Colleagues forget favours.
>>>>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, and you have to walk
>>>>it for 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, sisters, mother,
>>>>sisters-in-law, mother-in-law, aunties, 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.