In the Company of Women

Yesterday was my “girls day”. I met eleven other women from my high school class at 10:00 for our monthly therapy session…err, I mean, coffee klatche. One of the first things I did when I moved back to West Virginia two years ago was to organize these monthly gatherings of my classmates so we have connections as we head into the golden years of retirement. I have been blessed with this kind of supportive tribe of strong women all my adult life. Women in West Virginia don’t “gather” quite the same as they do in Colorado. I’m not sure why…culture, economics, traditional marital roles? Whatever…getting these wonderful women together has been a highlight every month for the last two years and I love every one of them!

After coffee, I joined a widowed friend who brought along one of her classmates who is also a widow (who happens to be a “Rancher” of three years! That always humbles me.) We visited for four hours and talked about a project we’re thinking of doing together. More on that when things get firmed up.

I have grown to appreciate women so much more since losing Mr. Virgo. I was one of those tomboys who always seemed to enjoy male conversation and energy more than women in my earlier years. I was a builder and a maker…a little coarse around the edges. But women of a certain age grow into their strength and wisdom and I find myself gravitating toward them. I admire them. I emulate them. I celebrate them. I’m proud to be one of them. And I seek out their company whenever possible. I tell my daughters not to lose touch with their women friends because they’re going to need them someday. I don’t think they get it…yet. But, they will.

I ended the day by taking myself out on a dinner date to the very first sit-down restaurant I ever went to…Jimmy Columbo’s. Jimmy’s opened the year after I was born so it’s an institution in my hometown. It’s still family owned and operated with photos of locals, family, and celebrities lining the walls. The first time I went there, I was on a date with the young man who would become my first husband. I had no idea how to order from a menu. I had never eaten a tossed salad before. When the waitress brought me my salad last night, I took the first bite and closed my eyes. I was suddenly seventeen again, heart fluttering, my shirtwaist dress freshly pressed, a white cardigan around my shoulders. I smiled and thought about how far I’ve come since I was that young, star-crossed girl. How much I have experienced and learned. How much I have grown. I thanked God for the wonderful, strong women in my life. I thanked Him for restaurants that still make a really great homemade Italian dressing. And pasta. I always thank God for pasta. ❤️

“She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭31:25-26‬ ‭NIV‬‬