A reflective weekend with the Gamma Nu girls
Driving home from our sorority reunion yesterday, I cried. Geez! My eyes tear up right now as I write. This weekend was light and delightful, on the outside. Under it all, this weekend was heavy with the power of friendship, determination, focus, creativity and love.
Some girls brought shirts, scrapbooks, journals and other mementos of the sorority we created back in 1984. Friday night, we read through meeting minutes, and rush plans. We were organized to the 15 minutes! Anyone who's rushed a sorority is probably not surprised by this, but what is so heavy and hard to comprehend about this group is that we made it all up on our own. We started this organization from scratch, and for some reason we all went along with it. This is a group of 18 year old girls, away from home for the first time, with quite the varied personalities and upbringings, AGREEING!? We're still dumfounded at what we created, and quite proud.
As I looked around at the smiling faces, I saw girls who's secrets I knew. I saw moments of time flash before my eyes, like, well, I don't think I can share those memories here and maintain my friendships. Maybe in a book, later. Ah, suffice it to say we went to Chico State during a more lenient time. We are all thankful for how safe we stayed, despite some of our careless actions.
What was so powerful for me and just fills my eyes now, is how the whole group rallied to sing to one woman once she arrived from the airport. There is something so special about her that we all agreed to sing a silly song from so many years ago, honoring her for the past she helped mold. We haven't seen this woman in years. She wasn't going to come. She's learning to live with MS and wasn't sure she could do the trip. Her dear husband (who we all met on that first day of college in 1983) bought her a ticket and said she needed to go have fun and relax. What gets me more? The intense respect, love and partnership they share or the intense respect, love, and friendship we hold for her? That rocks me.
Throughout the weekend, we proudly shared stories about our kids, families and jobs. We shared recipes, healthy eating, good books, and ways to cope through divorce with slimy, cheating, despicable ex husbands. Our mouths were agape quite a few times. And, we lowered our heads with the news that a sister is reeling from a cancer diagnosis two days earlier.
Thank goodness for technology to keep us updated! We're not sure when our next weekend will be, but we know it will be good medicine.
Some girls brought shirts, scrapbooks, journals and other mementos of the sorority we created back in 1984. Friday night, we read through meeting minutes, and rush plans. We were organized to the 15 minutes! Anyone who's rushed a sorority is probably not surprised by this, but what is so heavy and hard to comprehend about this group is that we made it all up on our own. We started this organization from scratch, and for some reason we all went along with it. This is a group of 18 year old girls, away from home for the first time, with quite the varied personalities and upbringings, AGREEING!? We're still dumfounded at what we created, and quite proud.
As I looked around at the smiling faces, I saw girls who's secrets I knew. I saw moments of time flash before my eyes, like, well, I don't think I can share those memories here and maintain my friendships. Maybe in a book, later. Ah, suffice it to say we went to Chico State during a more lenient time. We are all thankful for how safe we stayed, despite some of our careless actions.
What was so powerful for me and just fills my eyes now, is how the whole group rallied to sing to one woman once she arrived from the airport. There is something so special about her that we all agreed to sing a silly song from so many years ago, honoring her for the past she helped mold. We haven't seen this woman in years. She wasn't going to come. She's learning to live with MS and wasn't sure she could do the trip. Her dear husband (who we all met on that first day of college in 1983) bought her a ticket and said she needed to go have fun and relax. What gets me more? The intense respect, love and partnership they share or the intense respect, love, and friendship we hold for her? That rocks me.
Throughout the weekend, we proudly shared stories about our kids, families and jobs. We shared recipes, healthy eating, good books, and ways to cope through divorce with slimy, cheating, despicable ex husbands. Our mouths were agape quite a few times. And, we lowered our heads with the news that a sister is reeling from a cancer diagnosis two days earlier.
Thank goodness for technology to keep us updated! We're not sure when our next weekend will be, but we know it will be good medicine.
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