Here’s another great website. Girlfriendology celebrates the meaningful friendships women share. Their posts are informative, entertaining, and important, supported by relevant links. The interaction of their thousands of followers speaks to the popularity of Girlfriendology. They have just begun a Wednesday page where women can send in photos of their girlfriend groups and I’m sharing the wonderful women of my “bridge club” this week. Rock on, ladies!
Read below or click here to go directly to the page.
Wordless Wednesday: Patricia’s Bridge Club / Girlfriend Group
Well, it’s not completely WORDLESS Wednesday, but it is a great reason to feature the beauty of girlfriends!
We’re started a new feature on Girlfriendology on Wednesdays to feature YOU and YOUR GIRLFRIENDS. Every Wednesday we’ll share a photo of a girlfriend group and tell you a little about them. We’re hoping it inspires you to spend some beautiful moments with your girlfriends and to share with Girlfriendology. (To submit your girlfriend photo, check out Wordless Wednesday/Girlfriendology.)
Author, PATRICIA SANDS shared this about her girlfriend group:
This is my “bridge club” during a one-week reunion on Vancouver Island last September. Friends for over 45 years! My recently published novel, The Bridge Club, is based on this amazing friendship that has never faltered. Friends forever is our motto.
Here’s what Amazon has to say about her friendship novel:
Where can you find a story about friendship, laughter and the good things in life that also touches on alcoholism, infidelity, porn addiction, terminal illness and grief? For most women, it’s often within their own circle of friends. Patricia Sands reminds us of the complexities of women’s friendships in The Bridge Club, a moving tale of eight women whose lives intersect once a month initially to play the game of bridge. What began as one night turns into four decades that span the segments of a woman’s journey from youthful optimism to embracing the challenges and opportunities presented in life’s later years.
For more than forty years, the mantra of these women has been “one for all and all for one.” Beginning their monthly soiree in the psychedelic Sixties, unpredicted twists of fate weave through the good times and strong friendship they share as the years pass. The constant from one decade to the next is loyal and nonjudgmental support, even when agreeing to disagree is the final solution. From the exhilarating cultural changes of their early times together through the “zoomer” years, their connection never falters. As they celebrate turning sixty at a group birthday weekend, each woman recalls a time in her life when the Bridge Club came to the rescue. After tossing around ideas mixed with a generous helping of common sense and a large dose of laughter they decide to refer to that time as their “SOS”. Eight chapters document each one’s story.
Everything is put into perspective and the strength of their friendship is tested when one of these women faces a life-altering decision. Her choice profoundly affects all of the group, pushing the limits of their beliefs and values. The unique alliance they share is confronted with an unimaginable crisis.
Based loosely on her own bridge club, Sands weaves the reader through a maze of life’s inevitable scenarios as the club bears the death of a member’s spouse, one woman’s meeting with her biological mother, the inevitable marital and health issues, and another’s final chance at freedom from the painful addiction to alcohol through rehab.
Although she has taken liberties with the actual events and it is truly a work of fiction, most issues faced by the characters in the book were experienced in her own bridge club. The bottom line of the story is a testament to friendship and hope.
first novel, The Bridge Club. The printer’s proofs should arrive next week and for the first time I will actually get to hold the finished product in my hands. Crazy as it sounds, it’s kind of like having a baby and I’ve been pregnant for four years! Writing a novel does tend to get all-consuming. The Bridge Club should be available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Chapters/Indigo within the next few weeks. I’ve been fortunate to receive some great advance praise and hope you will find it a good read. My experience of self-publishing through iUniverse is a story in itself. What an education – but it’s all been good and an exciting ride! If you are on that bumpy road yourself, I would love to hear your experiences. There are some excellent websites on writing and self-publishing and I’ll add links when I get my act together on this blog and my website. I’ll be happy to add others you have discovered. The story is fiction but based on many of the experiences my real-life bridge club has lived through from our crazy days in the 1960’s through to the ‘zoomer’ years we share now. The shocking situation faced in the final chapter might happen to any one of us. Zoomer is a term I first heard used by a well-known Toronto media personality, Moses Znaimer, and I love it! Somehow it captures the energy that most of the people I know in my age group still exude. 65 years old – yikes! How did that happen so quickly? Never mind! Appreciate each day, savor what is good, deal with what isn’t as best you can, and move on, I say! The Bridge Club is first and foremost about the power of friendship. To me that’s one of the most important aspects of life and I feel so fortunate to have wonderful friends who help make my life rich and full. We laugh a lot and support each other as we share the ups and downs of this unpredictable world. I hope your life contains at least one true friend. I’m always happy to hear stories about strong, honest, friendships so if you want to share yours, please do. Young or old, crazy or serious, individually or within a group, club, or organization, there are good tales to relate. This I know. Right now I’m in the process of getting my website up and running and will get the word out when it is ready. I’ll include helpful links that offer information, advice, food for thought, and good ideas that in some way add positive vibes to our lives. Your input is always welcome! Of course there will be some bridge hands to play as well. Love the game! I’ve got tons to blog about so hope to see you back soon. Carpe diem! Time for me to see what today has to offer. May you make your day the best it can be!
