Thank you!

A girlfriend sent me the following story one day last week, and it put a smile on  my face.

A much needed smile!

Because what the story has to share is so very, very true!!

My girlfriends have rallied around me and made

me feel like l can get through the tough times ahead.

 l know they will be there with a shoulder and a tissue when l need to cry.

They will be there to make me laugh!
l am blessed with very dear girlfriends, and l treasure them!!

 

And l would like to thank all my blogging friends who have taken the time to check in on me.

My heart is warmed by the friendship and hugs  you offer me in an email.

What can l say, but that quilters are the best!!

Thank you.

 

My dear Dad has been diagnosed with lung  cancer.

He started chemo on Monday.

It won't cure him, but maybe buy him some more time.

At 80 years old, some might say he has had a good innings.

Those who know him know he had many more great years in him.

l already miss him.

See, he was the keeper of my garden. For the last 15 years or so,

 he would turn up every Monday and Friday mornings, and spend the day pottering.

We would make plans for the vegetable garden or new garden beds.

We would chat over a cuppa. And share a joke.

He would tell me about when he grew up.

l loved hearing stories about the olden days.

 

Its been a few weeks since he came. l still expect to hear his car

 and the welcoming bark of the dog to let me know he is here.

 

Life will change and there will be good days ahead.

And many wonderful memories to cherish.

And for those l will be forever grateful.

The last paragraph says it all!!!!

 

 

In an evening class at Stanford University the last lecture was on the mind-body connection - the relationship between stress and disease. The speaker (head of

psychiatry at Stanford) said, among other things, that one of the best things that a man could do for his health is to be married to a woman whereas for a woman, one of the best things she could do for her health was to nurture her relationships with her girlfriends. At first everyone laughed, but he was serious.
Women connect with each other differently and provide support systems that help each other to deal with stress and difficult life experiences. Physically this quality "girlfriend time" helps is to create more serotonin - a neurotransmitter that helps combat depression and can create a general feeling of well being. Women share feelings whereas men often form relationships around activities. We share from our souls with our sisters/mothers, and evidently that is very GOOD for our health.

 

He said that spending time with a friend is just as important to our general health as jogging or working out at a gym. There's a tendency to think that when we are "exercising" we are doing something good for our bodies, but when we are hanging out with friends, we are wasting our time and should be more productively engaged? Not true. In fact, he said that failure to create and maintain quality personal relationships with other humans is as dangerous to our physical health as smoking!
So every time you hang out to schmooze with a gal pal, just pat yourself on the back and congratulate yourself for doing something good for your health! We are indeed very, very lucky.

 

 

So, let's toast to our friendship with our girlfriends.
Thanks to all the girls in my life who have helped me stay healthy, happy, feeling understood,

  appreciated, and loved.

 

 

 

 

And just to leave you with a quilt, here is the latest group quilt

 my Sorrento sewing girls made.

 Its from Edyta Sitars book, Friendship, Strips and Scraps.

Slightly revised, but essentially the same.

We reproduction lovers even managed to use batik fabric!!

 

And here is happy birthday girl, Anne,

who seems mighty pleased with her quilt!

 



 

 Go find a friend and hug her.
Its for your own good health!!

Thanks for visiting.

Linda.