Day 1: Be Thou My Vision

I joined a sorority at the beginning of my junior year in college. Up to that point, all of my college friends (and most of my friends in general) were boys. I've kind of always been better friends with boys than girls because I have 3 sisters. There was plenty of drama in my house. I didn't need it from my friends too. Disclaimer: I do have friends that are not boys, but I've been friends with those girls for a while. Anyway...I wanted to have some female friends from college so I joined a sorority. There are so many things I learned about myself from my time as an active member of Alpha Sigma Tau. It was so wonderful to be a part of a sisterhood that pushed me to be a better version of myself and not a cookie cutter copy of someone else. I think people have the wrong idea about sororities, but at the same time, some sororities are awful. Mine was not, and I am thankful. I made some deep friendships in the 2.5 years I had in that group, and many of those friendships still exist today.

One of my favorite things about being in a sorority was reciting scripture and our creed together and singing our songs and hymns. There's just something about everyone saying or singing the same things together...no one louder than the others. I went to a very musical college, so hearing all of our members sing and harmonize together was always so wonderful. We usually stood in some sort of circle, so it sounded amazing. My favorite memory of singing with my sisters (aside from weddings) happened one night when we were in an old building with a hardwood floor and great acoustics. The song we sang is one of my favorites anyway and it brings up so many memories and feels for me.

Today's song is "Be Thou My Vision"--written by Saint Dallan Forgaill in the 6th century. It was used in the Irish monastic tradition before it was translated into English and adapted over time. The words I'm most familiar with are below. I feel like these lyrics are the perfect prayer. If we can truly ask God to be our vision, our wisdom and truly mean it...then I think our hearts will be in the right place. This song not only brings back feelings of sisterhood and friendship, but I also pray that my life will reflect these lyrics.

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that thou art;
Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.

Be thou my Wisdom, and thou my true Word;
I ever with thee and thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, and I thy true son,
Thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one.

Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise;
Thou mine inheritance, now and always;
Thou and thou only, first in my heart,
High King of heaven, my treasure thou art.

High King of heaven, my victory won,
May I reach heaven's joys, O bright heaven's Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.