Women and Friendship

Recently, a friend sent me a note that referenced a study about women, stress, and friendship. It seems that for men, having a supportive wife is extremely beneficial for their long-term health, but for women, it is our relationships with our girlfriends that keeps us healthy.

Searching the internet, there are many articles that discuss how we handle stress. Here's a good one: http://www.homemakers.com/health-and-nutrition/disease-prevention/the-healing-power-of-female-friendships/a/26445/1

Fairly recently, it was discovered that the old notion of the "fight or flight" response to stressful situations is not as universal as was once believed. Nearly all of those old studies included only men! Now, it seems that science has discovered that women are more likely to respond to stress with a "tend or befriend" response.

Isn't it funny how long it takes science to "discover" things that can seem perfectly obvious? Of course men would respond with "fight or flight." They are the husbands and fathers, the protectors and providers. Of course women would respond with "tend or befriend." We are the mothers and the nurturers.

What wasn't as obvious to me though was how important our friendships with other women are. One article went so far as to say that for women, not having good relationships with our girlfriends is as harmful to our health as smoking! The article went on to say that for most of us, when life gets crazy, the first thing we cut out of our schedules is time with our girlfriends. We feel guilty for "wasting" time this way when in fact it is extremely important for our health! I was inspired to immediately email three of my best friends and invite them all out for coffee.

I encourage you to do something important for your own health! Call up a friend or two for coffee or a "girls night out." Nurture those friendships. God created us to need each other!

Glorious Summer!

Here I am, trying to begin again on my blog. I treasure these days, weeks, months, and years with my family. I love every stage of my childrens' lives. Yes, even the teens. I want to savor them and remember them. I just wish I were better about writing things down.

Summer is my favorite season. No, not because it is slower. At least for my family, we are as busy as ever. I love the sunshine. I love the warm weather. I love the fun of grilling out, picnics, swimming, s'mores, water balloon fights, and watching my children get simultaneously browner and blonder. I think some days that they are like the flowers -- the sun and the water make them grow even faster.

I don't school over the summer. Do you? I find that I need the summer to pray, to plan, to organize, and to clean up the accumulated detritus of the home school year.

This week, Colin and Hunter are with our Youth Group attending the Steubenville Youth Conference and then working and praying at the Little Portion Hermitage. While they are gone, I am deep cleaning their room. Guess how many pairs of socks I found? Twenty-seven. Really. Now I know why there was always a vague locker-room smell lingering there!

I've also started re-organizing my homeschool materials. Zoe has been a wonderful help with that. I need to get back to it, but I find it overwhelming. This will be our seventeenth year homeschooling and I'm afraid I have a *lot* of books. So many that I sometimes end up having to re-buy books that I know I own but can't find. Sigh.

Last week, I got to visit with my sister and her new baby Joseph (a.k.a. Guiseppe). He is an amazingly calm, sweet baby. She is so very blessed and we were so very blessed to get to see him and hold him and smell him while he was still so fresh from God.

Here is a picture from our Independence Day Rosary, Barbeque, and Fireworks extravaganza, hosted by dear friends of ours.