Carolyn Barek

Yesterday was relatively calm at work, thank goodness! I got all the paperwork caught up and had time to make a few phone calls. I finally called Liv. We made plans to get together one day. If I calculated right, there should be a couple of days after I leave before she starts back. If not, then we can work something else out. Nothing much else going on.
I wanted to share another email I received. So Liv, Chloe, Nomi, and the very few other female friends I have, this is for you!


Thank you all for being my "sister".


Subject: Sisters

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, swir ling 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' mean ALL the women... your girlfriends, your
> daughters, and all your other women relatives. 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 mainstays of her life.
>
> After over 60 years of living in this world, here is what I've
> learned:
> Time passes.
> Life happens.
> Distance separates.
> Children grow up.
> Jobs come and go.
> Love waxes and wanes.
> Men don't do what sisters do.
> Hearts break.
> Parents die.
> 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, aunts, nieces, cousins, and
> extended family, all bless our life.
>
> The world wouldn't be the same without those 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.
>