Sisterhood (n): an association, community, or society of women linked by a common interest, religion, or trade

High school was a whirlwind for me, to say the least. So traveling four hours to itty bitty Tyler, Texas from my hometown of Austin, was quite the college move for me. I came without knowing a single soul, thrown into a pond with an average amount of “fish in the sea” (let’s be real this is only a D-3 university) and hundreds of opportunities at my fingertips. I am proud to say that three years down the road, I have come to know what friendship means through the true experience of a sisterhood.

I joined Delta Gamma in the fall of 2014 with an open mind and a closed heart. But I have grown to find friendships I know will last a lifetime, people that have my back, and girls that truly have my best interest at heart.

Leaving high school, I didn’t know what a true friendship looked like. The mental picture in my head was broken and consisted of feeling hurt time after time and not being able to trust anyone close to me, due to the fear of being betrayed.

Coming to good ole Tyler, Texas was something I was excited yet nervous for. And joining Delta Gamma was even more nerve-racking because I was scared of being hurt yet again.

But it has truly been a blessing. Delta Gamma has shown me not only friendship but sisterhood. And I think this holds true for others, as well.

And not to say there hasn’t been a few bumps down the road because there has. Let’s be real…no friendship is perfect but the journey you go through is quite extraordinary.

After these past few years in college, I began to see that you don’t have to be best friends with every single sorority sister. And that it okay. Sometimes certain people are meant to be closer to you than others. And it is for your own protection. And through this, I learned a lot about the way God works with friendships and why He brings you closer to certain people in your life.

I have realized that God has a specific plan for each and every one of us and our friendships. God is an intentional God. He is so intentional that He has specific plans for each and every person He puts in your life and lessons you learn from one another. He has a reason for the ones around you and why they are in your life right now. And our God is a God of timing…perfect timing. He brings you closer to people at specific times when you need them most. He brings you some to stay in your life for a short time and others, forever. He brings them there to teach you and for God to use you in teaching them, too. He brings you closer to friends who will help hold you accountable, bring you closer to Him, and love you through it all through a bond called sisterhood.

Along these years, I grew closer to some friends and grew farther from others. And looking back I thank God for this. Because in the midst of these friendships, God taught me what the meaning of friendship looks like again. He teaches all of us through our friendships we have that trusting them can be hard but that some friends really do have your best interest at heart and aren’t about betraying you. Also that God has loving, god-fearing sisters that are here to grow with you and help you along the way. But more than just that, through all of this, He has taught me what sisterhood means, through the people in my sorority but also through the placement of them in my life. And I know He does the same for others.

And I think that in a sorority, we see a sense a sisterhood and unity as a whole. But even so, no sorority is perfect and is all a bit broken once inside. And I will be the first to admit it, though I think we all think this from time to time. Our sisterhood as a whole, I think can improve at times, and that is alright. But it is within those friendships in your sorority, you have with those sisters you are close to that we see the true meaning of sisterhood.

And I think this is something to be thankful for. No one sisterhood is perfect all the time. It may get messy and yucky along the way, but I think those are the situations that we learn the most from sometimes. A sisterhood is honestly such a gift from God. I am grateful I have some pretty amazing sisters that over the years, I have grown to trust more and more, and know we have each other’s back no matter what may be thrown our way.

Through Delta Gamma, I have learned not only the meaning of friendship but of Sisterhood, and for that, I am forever thankful.