Friends...

"Any woman who sews or knits or weaves, blends colors in a tapestry or creates a patchwork quilt, knows by the feel that a single thread is weak. But the weaving, the blending, the intertwining with many others makes it strong.

Any woman alone without friends to sustain her, to nurture and support, to hold with loving arms, like a single thread is weak. But the weaving, the loving, the nurturing of others, the networks of friendship makes her strong."

---Barbara, 1994
The Kinship of Women