Imagine your life without a beautiful friendship.

Stop and picture those special moments, those times of crisis, when your friend was there for you.

Remember how wonderful you feel when you hear your friend's voice at the other end of the phone.

Or her special 3 raps on your front door as she drops by for an unexpected visit just when you're about to call.

Women especially appreciate and need true, close, reliable friends. Other women they count on to

1. care for each other,
2. connect with
3. empathize with.

Women know a beautiful friendship when they create one.

And the simplest, most natural way women create their intimate friendships, their beautiful friendships, their close and caring friendships is by talking with each other and slowly, steadily deepening the trust between them.

For women, and therefore girls, learning the true meaning of friendship and the skills for making and keeping friends can't start too early in life.

This is not to say that boys and men don't appreciate and need friends. In fact, men who have developed their feminine side often need friends as much as women.

So kids who learn the importance of friendship often get to experience love from more sources than just their parents or caregivers.

Love is what we all want more of. Kids especially develop into healthier adults the more love they are blessed to receive love.

Kid friendship's offer the chance for kids to share feelings and comfort one another.

And as experts on friendship state in their book I know What You Mean: The Power of Friendship in Women's Lives, kids help each other to "understand the world of school and family." (p. 38).

Think about the possibility of keeping a friend almost your entire life.

That happened with my mom, whom I'm caring for as she goes through the aging process.

She has a friend Dollie, they grew up together in Brooklyn, NY, and became friends at 5 years old! They're both 90 now.

Mom's fond of saying that Dollie kissed all the boys while she, mom, was very particular about whom she kissed.

And that Dollie could walk into mom's house and tell immediately if mom's mom was upset with her.

There's something that goes beyond words when describing the meaning of friendship between women.

The Importance of Friendship - More Than You Can Ever Imagine