I’ve just returned from 4 glorious days up at the cabin with my girlfriends. We had a great time strengthening friendships that have spanned more than 25 years. We are the Erudite Book Club, established in 1987, the year I returned home from Nigeria. We meet every month with our heads filled with words from books we’ve poured over and we talk about them, learn more about their authors, and discuss history, principles, events, and everything of interest.  Imagine having almost 300 books in common with your best friends!

When we established ourselves, we were all single college girls, with all the world before us. Now we are a bit more wizened, experienced, and we are very fun and interesting people!  Some in our group are married, some are still single.  We’ve seen our children grow up, go out into the world, and some of those children have married. Some in our group are now grandmothers, some have experienced divorce, one has lost her husband, and our dear Natalie is now courageously battling cancer. We meet each month to cheer each other on, to learn from each others’ experiences and to expand our individual worlds.

This last week we gathered at our Sundance cabin, high above our valleys, in the pines and aspens, where we were surrounded by beauty, quiet, and rain-drenched trees. It was magical. Below are a few photos of some of my dearest friends.

 Girlfriends

Time passes. Life happens. Distance separates. Children grow up. Love waxes and wanes. Hearts break. Careers end. Jobs come and go. Parents die. Colleagues forget favors. Men don’t call when they say they will.

But. . .

Girlfriends are there, no matter how much time and how many miles are between you.  A girlfriend is never farther away than needing her can reach.  When you have to walk that lonesome valley and you have to walk it for yourself, your girlfriends 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.

The world wouldn’t be the same without them, 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.