I wanted to share two messages I received today, the first from Paula, who signed up for FOF, and the second from my dear friend, Denise.

“I am the first of my close girlfriends to turn fifty.  I’ve found that with women, it is so much easier to love each other unconditionally at this age.  After all life throws us with families, husbands, boyfriends, and kids, girlfriends are there for support and sheer childlike FUN.  I never laugh harder than when I’m with them.  Early in our friendships, I had just finished reading The Divine Secrets of the Ya-ya Sisterhood. Because of the parallels, we started calling ourselves the Yayas and it stuck. Being over fifty is the best time of life!  We are rejoicing in this time together. We checked our baggage at age forty and threw away the claim check. Why are we fabulous? Because we laugh and cry together, we love each other, we are THE YAYAS! “– Paula from Monterey, CA

The Real Yayas (left to right) Angie, Kim D., Kim L., FOF Paula, Kim R., Terri, Eryn, Lisa

This is the email from Denise. It’s long, but it’s worth reading:

A young wife sat on a sofa on a hot humid day, 
drinking iced tea and visiting with her mother. As 

they talked about life, about marriage, about the 
responsibilities of life and the obligations of 

adulthood, the mother clinked the ice cubes in her 
glass thoughtfully and turned a clear, sober glance 
upon her daughter.

”Don’t forget your sisters,” she advised, swirling

the tea leaves to the bottom of her glass. “They’ll

be more important as you get older. No matter how

much you love your husband, no matter how much you 

love the children you may have, you are still going

to need sisters. Remember to go places with them now 
and then. Do things with them. 
Remember that all women are your sisters: Your girlfriends, your daughters and your other 
women relatives, too. You’ll need other women. Women 
always do.”

What a funny piece of advice, the young woman thought. Haven’t I just gotten married? 

Haven’t I just joined the couple-world? I’m now a 

married woman, for goodness sake! A grownup! Surely 
my husband and the family we may start will be all I 
need to make my life worthwhile! 
But she listened to her mother. She kept contact 

with her sisters and made more women friends each 
year. As the years tumbled by, one after another, 

she gradually came to understand that her mom really 
knew what she was talking about. As time and nature 

work their changes and their mysteries upon a woman, 
sisters are the mainstays of her life.

The movie Ya-Yas

After more than fifty years of living in this world, 
here is what I’ve learned: 

THIS SAYS IT ALL: 



Time passes. 

Life happens. 
Distance separates. 
Children grow up. 

Jobs come and go. 

Love waxes and wanes. 

Men don’t do what they’re supposed to do. 

Hearts break. 
Parents die. 

Colleagues forget favors. 
Careers end. 
But sisters are there, no matter how much time and how 

many miles are 

between you. A girlfriend is never farther away 
than needing her can reach.

When you have to walk that lonesome valley and you 
have to walk it by yourself, the women in your life 

will be on the valley’s rim, cheering you on, 
praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on 

your behalf, and waiting with open arms at the 
valley’s end. 
Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk 

beside you. Or come in and carry you out. 
Girlfriends, daughters, granddaughters, 

daughters-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law, mothers, grandmothers, aunties, nieces, cousins, and extended 

family, all bless our life! 


The world wouldn’t be the same without women, and
neither would I.

When we began this adventure called 
womanhood, we had no idea of the incredible joys or 

sorrows that lay ahead. Nor did we know how much we 

would need each other. 
Every day, we need each other still. Pass this on 

to all the women who help make your life meaningful. 
I just did. Short and very sweet: 
There are more than twenty angels in this world. 

Ten are peacefully sleeping on clouds. Nine are 
playing. And one is reading her email at this 

moment. Send this message to ten of your friends including 

me. If you get five replies, someone you love will surprise you. Happy days! 

Don’t break this. It’s working.

Denise and Paula represents the 51 million FOF women across the country.  We can’t wait till we’re all together on www.faboverfifty.com. We launch on Thursday night.