“Behind every good woman is a good friend.” Unknown

Some 30 years ago, I watched a series about marriage by the founder of Focus on the Family, James Dobson. He believed the increase in divorces happened not because of changes in relationships between men and women, but changes between women and our female friends.

He explained how the strong bond broke down between women when we began working outside the home. We no longer birthed each other’s babies, carried on activities like knitting together, nor gathered in the afternoons on front porches. 

His story reminded me of visiting my mother-in-law’s house and watching her straighten the house and prepare as much of dinner as she could before inviting over friends for tea. The same women gathered two to three afternoons a week. 

My daughter and her closest friend get together at least once a week to walk and have coffee. Even during the quarantine, they’d park their cars in a parking lot and visit while their kids hung out the windows and acted silly.

A friend began Women In Discipleship classes a few months ago at our church. She received numerous requests, so she started a second group. The need to fulfill our purpose as well as to have women friends explains why there are nearly 50 of us who meet weekly. 

Our need to connect with other women explains why my group of high school friends who I’ve known for more than 50 years continue to gather even though I can’t imagine there’s a story we haven’t already told or a topic we haven’t already covered. Anywhere from three to eight of us have been gathering every month for 16 years.  

We joke about our theme song being “Make New Friends.” The lyrics say make new friends and keep the old ones because one is silver and the other is gold. If you were a Girl Scout and know the tune, it’ll be stuck in your head all day. 

I have other dear friends who I went to school with, also neighbors, Facebook friends, ones I met in women’s groups and at other churches, readers on here, and women in my family. Ethel Barrymore said, “The best time to make friends is before you need them.” 

Let’s be sure to keep in touch with our friends ‘cause we need each other, and sometimes more than we even realize. I love y’all dearly!     

In This Together,
Kim