Tres Ya-Ya

So I'm not the hugest "chick lit" fan (literature written by women, for women, about womenly things.) But I'll be damned if the Ya-Ya Sisterhood books didn't get me laughing and crying like the biggest baby in the world. Little Altars Everywhere, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood and Ya-Yas in Bloom, all written by Rebecca Wells, chronicle the lives of four life-long friends from Louisiana, starting in the late 30s/early 40s, right up to the 90s. The girls each have distinct personalities- Necie is shy and polite, Teensie is outspoken and completely un-embarassable, Caro is wise and unapologetic, and Vivi, the ringleader, is energetic, enthusiastic, flawed, charming, slightly psychotic, but entirely endearing. She is far from perfect, and far from a good role model, unlike the other women I've talked about so far. But she is so utterly HUMAN in her faults, that I can't help but adore her.
The reason why I put these girls in here, is because they are a fantastic example of the power of female friendship. Nowadays, it seems like everywhere I turn, on tv and in movies, and in real life, girls can be just so gosh darn CATTY. There is so much gossip and trash talk, and it just seems like girls don't really trust one another anymore. (Of course this is a huge exaggeration, I have some really fantastic girlfriends, but y'all know what I mean.) But these girls, they are there for each other, through thick and thin, and some really difficult times, for over 60 years. They are never catty, they are never petty, and they never argue over silly "girlish" things. They really understand each other, and accept each other, faults and all.

It's enough to make you wish you had your own Ya-Ya Sisterhood.