A friend of mine sent me the below forward and it brought warmth to my heart. I have been going through a rough patch. Many of you don’t know that I suffer from depression and social anxiety. It’s the worst thing to go through when all you want is to be happy and then gradually darkness creeps into your life and in a blink of an eye you realize that you’re in that dark hole yet again. Nothing can get you out and only with time you will be yourself again. Yet, this darkness is a part of me. Not many people understand that side of my life. Yes, I have a lot of beautiful things going on in my life but depression and anxiety isn’t a choice. No one would ever choose to feel this way.
The forward that my friend sent me helped me with something that I have been thinking about a lot. Growing up I was told that family were the only friends that you needed in life but lately I’ve notice that I feel I’m missing out in something…
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 mother 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.
Over the years I have lost many girlfriends for one reason or another. I have been hurt and I have hurt and it’s painful to realize that you hurt someone as someone has once hurt you. Many times I sit and realize that I don’t really have many close friends and I tell myself there is nothing wrong with that but there is. I don’t have girls’ night out; when I want to plan a dinner or event I realize that my guest list is very short and almost non-existing. Thankfully I have Mr. Husband and he loves spending time with me and he loves to go shopping with me but he is a guy and I do know that there are times in which he doesn’t feel like going out and doing the girly stuff. Who am I left with then?
This is what I plan for this year, the few friends I do have, the ‘sisters’ that I do have, I plan to grow closer to them and I can only hope that they too will feel the same. I hope that they will accept me and not question why the sudden change. It’s something that I know I need and it’s a change in my life that I need. What a better time to start this then the month of love and friendship!
Wish me luck and please let me know your thoughts. I love when I get notices that someone commented on my posts. Thank you my faithful readers, you light up my day!
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