The Girlfriends

Well, i did absolutely nothing productive yesterday. Except stay in bed & heal. My girlfriends (GFs) reminded me that that IS productive!

I don't know what i'd do without the GFs. God has blessed me so. We're an eclectic group who met online thru a natural health website. About 18 months ago we began emailing back & forth & became a cohesive group who really love & support one another. We've 3 RNs, an educator, a dance teacher, a retailer, a stay at home mom who works at home, (& me). We've someone in New Zealand, in Australia, Northern CA, West Virginia, South Carolina, two in Maine, (& me). We've 2 deeply committed Christians, someone rather New Age, an Atheist, & the others who don't really comment on beliefs much (& me!). We used to have a ninth GF who left us because we are so diverse & not very malleable to what she thought we should be. We've several of us with disabilities of one form or another, & several with very bad experiences with the medical field - & one with very good experiences who keeps us in balance. We've carnivores, an extreme Vegan, & a mostly vegetarian (me). Most have children, some grandchildren, a couple of us are childless. We range in age from mid-30 to mid-60.

We are the most unlikely group ever put together. And we love each other. And i thank God daily for belonging to such a group. The wealth of info & common sense these ladies have is a treasure, also the sense of humor we bandy around. All three of the RNs have experience & knowledge of the conventional medical system, but they also are a wealth of natural health. I just can't praise these wonderful ladies enough.

What i find particularly remarkable about this group is hard to explain. When the Internet first came into being, i think some of us saw it as a way to connect to loved ones better. Kind of an "Ah, now that it is easier - no letter to write, envelope to address, stamp to find - i'll hear from X more often." Maybe others have found that so, but i have not. People i dearly love do send me things. They send me jokes & anecdotes & stories & pictures, but 99/100 times they don't add any personal note at all. Not even "thinking of you" tho i suppose they are since they added my name to a list of others. I haven't found that it furthers my relationship with these dear ones at all.

But the GFs share deeply of their lives. Some have actually met in person & we all hope to meet someday. We may disagree with each other on issues, but we still love each other. I suppose in some ways it isn't so unexpected. People find other people online who use the Internet in the same way, & so connect. Still, i think it is a wonderful resource, a fabulous group, & one of my greatest blessings.

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