This past weekend I did a lot of traveling. My cousin was getting married in Pennsylvania, and my family was kind enough to come retrieve me in Central Illinois before they started the trek. It is about a twelve hour drive from Illinois State to York, PA, so naturally I had a lot of time to reflect and think about life... Of course, I alternated this with watching movies and listening/singing my favorite songs.
One such time of "reflection" came as I was looking at Facebook on my phone. I saw status after status of Sisters talking about their own travels and how they were on their way to celebrate the life of a beloved Brother, Sister, and friend. Many people made the journey to the epicenter of the Sorority and the Fraternity so that they might join together in the bond.
I was overcome with emotion when I read this! It continually amazes me that as Sisters and Brothers we have a system that provides unconditional love, support, and an endless supply of shoulders to lean on. In my three years of being an active Sister (and yes it does seem much longer than that), I have felt numerous times that I was a part of something much bigger than myself, a sensationally strong bond.
I know that in TBS we throw around the word "bond" all the time, but do we truly know what it means? Do we truly understand what the "bond" is?
Well, being an English major, I looked up the definition... I know I'm a nerd. The Oxford English Dictionary defines 'bond' as "a force or feeling that unites people; a common emotion or interest" (oxforddictionaries.com).
As Sisters we are bonded by our mutual love for bands and our need to continually serve them. "A mutual interest in the Art of Music, in its performance, and in the aesthetic qualities it can project to others." It provides us with that "common tie" that brings us together.
What would we be without our ability to serve the bands? In essence, we would not have a bond. At least it would not be the same. Our Sorority was designed to provide "excellent service to collegiate bands." Therefore, it can be said that our bond is created and honed through our service, our love of service to collegiate bands. Too often are people focused on improving either service or sisterhood, when one stems from the other! Our dutiful service is what inspires the bond within us. It is that "common interest" that brings us together.
I will leave you with this. As Sisters we have an unbelievable system of continual love and support, but it is up to us how much of that we see and understand. Our organization, the Sisterhood, is only as strong as the service we put into it. It is up to us to ignite a passion in others, so that there is continual support for our band programs even after we are gone.
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