Buying the VIP ticket was a joke. When I passed in my ticket and received the pink VIP wristband, they told me that the Meet and Greet with Dr. Hook had been cancelled as he didn't feel well. However, he would say hello to his fans after the concert. This meant that I was stuck there from 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm. They had 2 other bands on before Dr. Hook but I wasn't interested in their music. So, I went back to the car to drop off my newly purchased T-shirt and decided to sit there and read my book until it got dark.


Spent time cooling my heels in and around the arena. Was sitting outside on a park bench when the Band arrived after 10:00. I waved as they drove past but only Tom saw me and he waved back. I watched them get out and enter the arena by a side door so decided I'd better get inside myself.

The previous band was gone but there was already a line of people across the front of the stage! I saw that there would be no way to see over their heads, if I sat in the VIP seat section (first 3 rows). And indeed, when I looked back after the concert, the seats were GONE—pushed away—as the entire audience had stood in front of the stage. I was lucky to get into the second row of people. Half-way through the concert, the 2 young women in front of me left, so I was in the first row, front and centre! What a view!

The concert was FABULOUS! After the first two songs, I heard Ray say that he had to take a breath. Guitar player, Brian, asked if he was okay and Ray replied that he was. When they started the next song, Ray must have gotten his second wind because for the rest of the concert he was in great form, even doing little dances, leading the Band, giving the downbeat for each song, and generally giving it his all. It was wonderful! Some people really laughed at the lyrics from “Freakers Ball” and some others laughed at those from “Only 16”—“I was a mere child of 16. I've aged a year since then.” Obviously, not hard-core fans! Afterward, a woman told me she had never seen Dr. Hook live before and that the concert had been fantastic. I had to agree with her.

In the encore, the crowd started chanting “Syl-vi-a, Syl-vi-a” and sure enough, the next song was “Sylvia's Mother”. Spare me, please! However, at the end of the song, the Band went into a musical interlude, with solos by each member in turn. But Ray didn't introduce them to us so I have no idea who the bass player is!

_ A couple of years ago, I attended my high school reunion. To my surprise, I ran into a woman whom I hadn't seen in 40 years! We hugged, got teary-eyed with joy, and spent most of the afternoon together recalling all the fun and heartaches we'd shared as best girlfriends in high school. When we parted, we promised to keep in touch. What a great day that was! In one afternoon we were able to recapture that close relationship we had had in those important teenage years.

That encounter got me thinking about the importance of relationships, especially our relationships with other women. Girlfriends, daughters, granddaughters, daughters-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law, mothers, grandmothers, aunties, nieces, cousins, and extended family, all are so valuable and bless our lives. It takes another woman to listen to and understand our woes. Perhaps because she is a woman, she feels it in her soul when we share ourselves with her!Husbands and boyfriends may come and go in life, but girlfriends always seem to stick by us. What is cozier than a night in with your girlfriends, watching a “chick flick” and passing around a box of Kleenex—and a box of chocolates!

A good relationship is based on mutual respect and trust. To be a friend involves sharing—sharing your time, your secrets, your support, and your life stories. You have to KNOW a person to be a friend. Sharing creates a bond with another woman and makes her special.

Close relationships enhance our lives and keep us healthy. A study done by Harvard researchers showed that people who have relationships of friendship, love, or other positive bonding, experience emotions that positively affect their immune systems. Strong friendships help to protect us against stress, depression, anxiety, and some forms of mental illness, according to the Mayo Clinic. It is known that people who frequently interact with others, whether face-to-face, or by phone, mail or email, live longer and healthier lives than those who live in isolation. Sociable people get sick less often and recover faster when they do fall ill.

Sometimes our relationships are interrupted when our girlfriends take different paths—get married, have children, or move away. Jeffrey Zazlow, in his book The Girls from Ames, followed the lives of 11 women for 40 years. He found that although these women moved apart, they managed to maintain their friendships. Not only that, their friendships sustained them through stressful times in their lives, such as battling cancer, losing a job, or going through a divorce. Again and again, they supported each other with phone calls, gifts, and emails.

Girlfriends are there for each other, no matter how much time and how many miles separate them.

Here’s to Meaningful Relationships!

Dominique Petersen is a graphic designer living in St. Thomas, Ontario, and is the author of the interactive book set, Girlfriends Forever!