What women give each other

I know about communities of women—I grew up in one. I had five sisters and a mother in a house that had thin walls, one small bathroom, and one phone line. I learned how to love my own space.

I also learned how to share and to be part of a larger group, even when I longed for individuation. Today, with more freedom in my life, I turn to my sisters when I need a sanctuary from a world that can be harsh. After a recent illness, I spent the night at my sister’s. In her back bedroom, away from the world, I slept for 12 hours straight, into recuperation. It wasn’t just the room. I felt safe in her care.

We all need what I think of as eternal mothering: understanding, compassion, and nurturing. And this we women can give each other.

This message is adapted from “Strength in Numbers” written by Clare La Plante in the January/February 2004 issue of Lutheran Woman Today (now Gather) magazine.