An amazing Odyssey article from my friend Mairi got me thinking about how soon it is that I will be leaving college. In a couple of months, I will be walking across the stage to graduate once again. It’s been a long time coming and I truly am excited about what comes next in my life. What I’m not excited for is leaving so many people behind. I have made a lot of very close friends and I’m not quite ready to pack up and move 13 hours away from them. Even though I don’t leave for a few more months, I felt it necessary to write a little letter to all of them:
A letter to everyone I’m leaving behind,
To the first friends, I made here at college, I don’t know what I’d do without you. As soon as we moved into our hall freshman year, we were inseparable. You were there when I had nobody else and you made this school feel like home. I’m so glad that the same group of friends I had my freshman year are still some of my closest friends today. You all showed me what college was about. We became a family. You took care of me and helped me through the first year of college.
And then there are my sorority sisters. The girls who gave me a home away from home and made me feel like I was a part of something. You are the friends I have always wanted and the family I never knew I needed. When push came to shove, you were always there to lift me up and to give me the strength I needed to keep going. I’m going to miss seeing you every Sunday and having you be just a short walk away. Just know, that if wasn’t for all you amazing women, I wouldn’t be the confident, self-assured woman I am today.
There are so many of my friends who will still be here after I graduate. And I just want to let each and every one of you know how proud of you I am. Watching all of your successes and accomplishments has made me so happy. Know that you are strong enough to handle anything. Know that whatever you are going through you will never have to go through it alone. Know that I will be here for you no matter what. All you have to do is pick up the phone and call me. I love more than words can express and am so incredibly proud of who you have become.
And to all of the friends who are graduating with me, congratulations, we made it! I am so glad that we went through these last four years together, my experience wouldn’t be the same without you. We have been through so much and I couldn’t ask for a better group to go through it all with. While we are all going our separate ways, know that I will never be more than a phone call or text message away. After everything we've been through together, I'm sure we will go through so much more.
I love you all from deepest parts of my heart and I’m going to miss you so much. Though we no longer be only a five-minute walk away, I will still be there for you guys. So, to all of you, thank you for being my friends and sticking with me through it all. Life really won't be the same without you.
