The Diversity and Necessity of Friends

Last week I had the wonderful experience of a road trip with an old friend. She lives one hour +, door to door. After picking her up we traveled around Arkansas where I was scheduled to speak to some women's groups. What a trooper! She sat at each meeting, laughed at the appropriate jokes,& clapped at the right time. This woman knows my talk by heart, she could give it! (In fact, we've talked about just that...since most of the time no one knows what I look like before I get there!)
At each town we met some remarkable women. They were all ages, races, shapes and sizes, various economic levels, each with amazing experiences and backgrounds that if documented would fill a shelf full of very interesting books. There was much silliness to go around, long moments of reflective silence, and a willingness to tell their story that men will never understand. There really is a universal "sisterhood". Entering into that "nest" is entering into an institution of higher learning. As much as I adore my husband, children, grandchildren and extended family I'm reminded to make time for friends, new and old. We women need each other....younger women need the life lessons that only older women can offer, and older women need the vitality and freshness that comes from youth. It's easy to offer respect and listening ears when the benefits are so huge.