Story by Cindy Burch
I grew up with a mother who was incredibly beautiful, talented, and full of life. She also had the best girlfriends. As an only child I was around adults more than other kids my age and I learned so much about friendship from the incredible ladies my mom surrounded herself with. There were ten ladies in her main circle of friends. Some were well known artists, vocalists, speakers, entrepreneurs, and homemakers. One was married to H. L. Hunt, one of the wealthiest men in the world. But what I learned most growing up with these amazing women was their love and support for each other, their families, and their love for Jesus Christ. As I watched and admired their unique friendship over many decades it filled me with volumes of knowledge, I hold dear.
They called themselves The Dumb Bunnies after sharing with each other the dumbest thing they had ever done and laughed so hard they decided to officially form a club with that name. Their club house was Mount Vernon, the Hunt estate at White Rock Lake in Dallas. Over the years all ten ladies and their spouses threw the most elaborate parties and entertained celebrities and dignitaries alike. Those who attended always wanted to be part of the club when they saw how much fun they had. My mom would write silly skits and change the words to songs and the bunnies would all perform for their guests. They wore beautiful gowns and often dressed in costumes they had custom made. They were even featured on 60 Minutes when Dan Rather flew to Dallas and interviewed Mr. Hunt, who by then had become a well-known oil tycoon.
I have written in the past about my own childhood girlfriends. We call ourselves the Goddesses and have known each other since elementary school in North Dallas. This past year we lost two in our group. One to COVID-19, who was living in London and another to cancer. It has been a difficult year for us as we struggle with losing such lifelong friends. Fortunately, over the years, we have enjoyed many wonderful trips together and have sweet memories to hold on to. Our last trip was in the Abaco islands of the Bahamas, where one of our Goddess friends has a home. We walked the beach at sunrise, hung out by the pool during the day, ate great meals and laughed till our sides hurt. We shared stories, life’s problems and encouraged one another. All of us have gone through trials and hardships, but we have always come through it with our faith in God and knowing we have each other. The Goddesses are true prayer warriors, and it has been an honor to know them for over fifty years. They remind me so much of my mom’s friends, minus the ballgowns and flamboyant galas.
I recently received a call from a guest who attended a dinner I hosted with some girlfriends. She is younger than we are and wanted me to know how inspired she is to begin building special friendships among her own peers after observing our sweet bond with each other. I realized at that moment it is important to set an example for the generations to follow. It is exactly what my mom and her girlfriends exemplified to me when I was young.
You cannot make old friends, and to have special women in your life that support you, lift you up and offer to do anything, as well as share their enormous blessings with you, is an experience I don’t ever want to take for granted. No matter where you are in life, from raising a family to being retired, we all need girlfriends to lean on and laugh with. We also need to be there when they fall and help them through the valleys of life. I love the quote:
“Be the woman who fixes another
woman’s crown without telling the world that it was crooked.”
