Girl Friends

Have you ever heard of the Lemonade Story? Ok, well, actually, it's the Ice Tea Story, but since I don't drink ice tea, I switched it to the Lemonade Story!
Get Yourself Some Girlfriends...
Young and newly married, I relaxed under a pecan tree on a hot Texas summer day, drinking lemonade and getting to know my new sister-in-law, Estelle. Not much older than I, but already the mother of three, Estelle seemed to be experienced and wise.
"Get yourself some girlfriends," she advised, clinking the ice cubes in her glass, "You are going to need girlfriends. Go places with them; do things with them." What a funny piece of advice, I thought. Hadn't I just gotten married? Hadn't I just joined the couple-world? I was a married woman, for goodness sake, not a young girl who needed girlfriends. But I listened to this new sister-in-law. So I got myself some girlfriends.
As the years tumbled by, one after another, gradually, I came to understand that Estella knew what she was talking about. I remembered that she had said the word "Girlfriend" with emphasis. As I went along, I discovered the subtle difference between friends and girlfriends.
You go to work with friends, go to dinner with friends, go to church with friends, belong to clubs with friends. You send friends greeting cards. You need friends in your life; all girlfriends were once only friends. But a girlfriend is different. I offer this praise of girlfriends.
Here is what I know about girlfriends:
Girlfriends don't compete.
Girlfriends bring casseroles and scrub your bathroom when you are sick
Girlfriends, keep your children and keep your secrets.
Girlfriends give advice when you ask for it. Sometimes you take it, and sometimes you don't.
Girlfriends don't always tell you that you're right, but they're always honest.
Girlfriends still love you, even when they don't agree with your choices.
Girlfriends might send you a birthday card, but they might not. It doesn't really matter in the least.
Girlfriends laugh with you, and you don't need a canned joke to start the laughter.
Girlfriends don't talk about you behind your back.
Girlfriends pull you out of a jam.
Girlfriends don't keep a calendar that lets them know who hosted the other last.
Girlfriends will give your son or daughter a party when they get married or have a baby in whichever order they come!
And Girlfriends are there for you, in an instant and truly, when the hard times come.
Girlfriends listen when your children break your heart.
Girlfriends listen when their parent's minds and bodies fail.
My girlfriends bless my life. Once, we were young, with no idea of the incredible joys or the incredible sorrows that lay ahead. Nor did we know how much we would need each other. I want to tell younger women to take my sister-in-law's advice. Get yourself some girlfriends. You are going to need them!
...........
This last month I had to call upon my tribe to come to my aid. My knee swelled up for almost a whole month, BUMMER! And I needed so much help. Most days, I couldn't even walk. So I called some of my girlfriends and asked if they wanted to come and drink some lemonade with me. Well, not really, but serve me! As some of you know, my Mother-in-law lives with us, and she is full-time care. That could be a problem when I am the only one who can care for her personal needs. So without hesitation, my house was full of people jumping to the chance to help me. I had dinners brought in, dishes cleaned, counters wiped, floors swept, Grandma dressed mornings and night, and I even had one of my bestie girls shower her, thank you, Brandi! I don't know what I would do without my girlfriends! They have blessed my life in so many ways. God knew my life would need these ladies in my life. I have cried like sobbing cry with them and laughed so hard with them that I peed my pants!
Thank you for all being part of my tribe, Tribe Liz! Because of you, my life has been richly blessed. Create your tribe because I want to be part of it! We as women need each other because there is something you can give me, and there is something I can give you. We are all blessed with unique talents and gifts to bless others. Thank you for sharing your gifts and talents with me…