What It Is Like To See Your Pledge Sister After Months Apart

During the second semester of my junior year of college, one of my best friends, my college roomie, my pledge sister, Jemma, accepted an amazing internship in Washington D.C. (we all knew she was destined to do great things).

She has more or less been down in the nation’s capital ever since.

While I have seen her a handful of times since then, speak to her often, and of course like  her occasional post on social media, she made an unexpected visit this past weekend and I made sure that I was able to see her (despite working an 8 and half hour shift at my part time job before hand).

After months apart, following the paths of our own lives, It was great to see her and celebrity where who we were, who we became, and where we have ended up thus far. Perhaps more importantly, it was nice to confirm that distance has not diminished our friendship but instead further solidified it.

Quite honestly, it was like she never left thus confirming that our friendship despite our busy schedules, fast past lives, and different careers can survive the test of time.

With the spring semester in full swing at this point, many sorority women are preparing to graduate --- this in general is a scary thought.

However, while the future can be uncertain, the lasting friendships that were fostered during your sorority years will live on with you forever. Jemma and I are just one example.  

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

I've been in a long distance relationship before and that was  difficult enough but a long distance friendship? That's something that I don't even want to think about.

Nearly two and a half years ago, my best friend went through recruitment and she ended up with a bid to my chapter. Then, I had no idea that she would be my best friend, nay, my soulmate, but over the past two and a half years, we became close through another sister and since then, we've been inseparable. She's the one that I go to for advice on just about any subject. She's my rock. She's the best friend that I've ever had.For the past two years, she and I have served on executive board together and needless to say, we're inseparable.

She's seen me at my best and has held me at my worst so what do you do when the future is going to have you split up?


She's an EMT and applying for jobs as an EMT before she goes to PA school and I'm wanting to get a job in law enforcement for a few years before I go to law school.

The job market, as most of us know, is tight. There aren't a whole lot of jobs in both of our job markets within the same cities, or at least not in most cities.

One of my biggest fears is that we'll be split up and that we'll ultimately drift apart.

I recently shared that fear with her and she shared this same fear, ultimately leading us to have to work to keep our friendship alive, which I don't think is going to be a problem because she's the mac to my cheese, the peanut butter to my jelly, and the best to my friend. 

Even though I now that our friendship will never die, I'm honestly more nervous to have a long distance friendship than I was when I was in a long distance relationship.

I'm not the best at expressing my feelings but this girl is undeniably my best friend in the entire world! If anybody has seen How I Met Your Mother, I'm Ted and she's Marshall. We share the same thoughts and feelings, and in 17 days, we'll share the same graduation ceremony as we both receive our Bachelors degrees! 

When you're in a sorority, people always say that you pay for your friends. No, I don't and even if that statement were true, I didn't pay nearly enough for them and I certainly didn't pay enough for my best friend. There's no amount of money in the world that adds up to what my best friend is worth and I'm truly glad that she's my best friend and sister! 

Phi Sigma Sigma brought us together and nothing will be able to tear us apart! 

Don't Forget to Say "I Love You!"

When we go to sleep each night, we never think that we'll never talk to someone again. We're always expecting to wake up in our perfect worlds and talk to the people that mean the most of us, never thinking for a single second that something could happen in a blink of an eye that could take them away from us forever.

On Monday, October 6th, I woke up to some of the worst news I could have ever gotten. I woke up to find a message saying that a guy I was involved with was in a car accident late Sunday night on his way home from work. After being hit by a drunk driver, he fought for about 36 hours until I heard the following day from a friend of his that he had passed away.

The worst part of all of this is that he lived in Boston. Unfortunately, hopping on a plane isn't the easiest or cheapest thing to do, so I had to suffer from a distance. I couldn't visit the hospital and I couldn't go to any services. 

To say that I was devastated is the understatement of the century. I didn't eat for days, I didn't go to classes, and when I could actually fall asleep, I cried myself to sleep. I was and still am miserable but I know that he would want me to continue with my life. Doing that is easier said than done but I've done it. 

I'm not saying any of this to gain sympathy from anybody, I'm saying it because it's what I feel on a daily basis. I feel my heart aching every single day and it aches down to the pit of my stomach. 

I miss him. I miss the sweet messages and all of the laughs and smiles he brought to my life. I miss talking until the early hours of the morning. I miss us talking about the geekiest things ever. I miss everything about him. 

The days preceding his death, I was being a complete brat and I know he wasn't happy with me. They always say never go to sleep or leave the house angry or upset. Well, he was working and I'll never know if he was upset with me or not when he passed away.

When you meet a certain person, you know immediately if they're meant to stay in your life or not. I know that he was meant to. He was only 23 and still full of life and he wasn't supposed to leave. 

Losing somebody you love is never easy. He knew everything about me, even the secrets kept in the deepest places of my soul. I can, without a doubt, say that I loved him with every piece of my heart. 

The day of his death, I had a meeting that I couldn't skip and after being there for only a few minutes, my sisters started showing up to the meeting (and my apartment that night)  with flowers, cookies, starbucks, cards, chocolate, and their unconditional love. Though my heart is still broken from the loss of this truly amazing man, the love and support that my sisters have shown me has been amazing and I am truly thankful to be apart of my sisterhood. 

Goodbyes make you realize a lot. They make you realize what you had and what you took for granted. Goodbyes are never easy. 

When you love somebody, you'd better tell them because you never know when you'll be talking to them for the last time. You never know when your world could be turned upside down and your heart be broken. If you love somebody, tell them and hold them tight because my biggest regret was that I didn't.


I may have lost the greatest love I've ever known but I've gained the greatest guardian angel.