From the outside, you probably can’t tell that our house is different from any other house on campus, but for me this house holds some of the best memories and experiences I will ever have. When you have depression, it can be hard to live an everyday life, but it can be even more difficult to do it while in college. I have had days were everything feels like it is too much for me that I can’t even make it out of my bed. All of the sudden I can hear laughter from the next room over. Little things like this that you would think might annoy you, gave me the strength to just get up out of my bed. Especially in a society where you constantly feel like you have to be the prettiest girl in the room, my sisters made me feel confident whether I looked like I was going to a formal or I had absolutely no makeup on and on my second day of dry shampooed hair. Y’all they don’t even complain when I watch Friends for the thousandth time and blast the volume all the way up. That’s true sisterhood.
This is the part about sororities that you don’t really hear about. It’s being able to be around a large amount of people and feel like they are making you a better person while also accepting you for who you are. From my little, Miranda, who understands my vulnerabilities and was there for me at a time when all I wanted to do was block the entire world out, to Danielle who made me feel safe and who is one of the strongest women I know. I have no idea where I would be without Hannah and Amy who look out for me and have seen me in the middle of a panic attack yet got me through it all by just reminding me to breathe. I can’t tell you the amount of times Jamie and Madi have made me laugh so hard my stomach hurts and make any bad day completely better. I can’t forget about Emma Kate who makes getting up at 6 a little easier knowing that she’ll be the first person to always make me smile at breakfast. Words can’t describe how thankful I am to Mollie, who was there to listen to me and understood my fears and helped me to face them. I cannot fathom where I would be if I did not have her holding my hand every step of the way. And I can’t even tell you how many times Brantley Morris has been there for me when I tried to shut the world out, yet her precious soul would come in my room, give me one of the biggest hugs and tell me that she loves me through it all. I could keep going on and on about countless other women who have helped me in so many ways while living in our house. They took a girl who felt broken and feared the world and showed me a way to feel whole again. They made me understand what “a love that is ever steadfast” means.
On the outside, you might see just another house, but it’s the sisterhood that our house stands on. As I get ready to start my senior year living in the house again, I am more confident, joyful, and healthier than I think I have ever been. I have a light that is surrounding me and every time something negative tries to bring me down, I know that it won’t last long because its immediately overshadowed by the nights filled with laughter, binge watching Love Island, meals filled with stories of our eventful days, and a mansion that is our home away from home. This is what keeps me going.
So thank you Delta Zeta making me whole again, for taking me as I am and loving me anyway. Thank you for never giving up on me and pushing me to overcome every fear I have. Thank you for making me feel safe and as each day passes helping me to live knowing that you, my sisters, will always be there through the good and the bad, with open arms. Thank you for being there for me even when it’s not the easiest thing in the world to love someone with mental illness yet choosing to do it anyway. Thank you for giving me a place that I can seek refuge in from the world. I couldn’t have made it to today without you.
-Brooklyn Worthy PC’16