By John Lennon & Paul McCartney, of course

I get so many email "chains" that announce National Girlfriends Day or National Beautiful Women Day and demand that I forward to everyone in my address book, that I view each one with skepticism. However, when I saw that the first Sunday in August is National Friendship Day, I thought it sounded legit. So I verified it in the time-honored tradition - I looked it up in my little Hallmark date book - the ones you can still get for free by the cash register at Hallmark stores. Yes, there it is! The United States Congress, in 1935, proclaimed the first Sunday of August as National Friendship Day. Since then, celebration of National Friendship Day became an annual event. The Friendship Day website says it's a "hugely popular festival". Friendship is certainly worth honoring and celebrating, but I don't see any parades passing by or balloons going up. In 1997 the United Nations named Winnie the Pooh as the World's Ambassador of Friendship. I tried to reach him for a quote but all he would say was, "Oh, bother!"

The message I would like to disseminate today is this: Teach your daughters to value their girlfriends. That's the subject of another email floating around in cyberspace. It goes like this:

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 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  more than 50 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 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. Pass this on to  all the women who help make your life meaningful.

This is all over the Internet, but no one seems to know who wrote it. If you do, let me know and I'll spread the word.

Cheers!

Carolyn