LOVE...The Greatest of All Things

Love is a very general and, in my opinion, a somewhat overused word. We love our parents, friends, pets, a significant other…but how meaningful is a word that is used in so many different senses every day? The answer is simple: very meaningful and I’ll tell you why.

When I got to college my freshman year, I wanted to be a part of something that was bigger than just myself. My parents suggested joining a sorority, so that’s exactly what I did. I went through recruitment and found “my home” with a group of ladies referred to as Zeta Tau Alpha. ZTA became my favorite part of college; getting to know people, always having things to do, raising money for Breast Cancer Education and Research. One of the hardest challenges I faced throughout my process of becoming an initiated member of ZTA, was learning the creed and what it stood for. As I was learning and memorizing, the very last line of the creed caught my attention: Remembering always that the foundation precept of Zeta Tau Alpha was love, the greatest of all things.

My mind thought about that last line in the creed and what it really meant. I love my parents and friends, I loved the cat I had before he died, I supposedly loved the boys I dated in high school. How could it be that love is the greatest of all things if it can disappear as quick as it came? I inquired many times about the answer to the question I was asking myself; however, I came to realize that someone else was not able to answer my question for me, but that I would have to answer it for myself. Throughout my time in ZTA thus far, I found the answers I was looking for.

The first, and most important, clue I got about love really being the great of all things was when I received my big, Cheyenne. Not only did I get a big from ZTA, but I also got a grand-big, great grand-big, so on and so forth all the way up to my eight grand-big. With this “family” came unconditional love and support, especially when I made mistakes. There was never a time that I felt unwanted or not cared about being a part of my ZTA family, and that’s when the wheels started turning in my brain. This past year, I received a little of my own, Maddy. She became a little light of my life and I have enjoyed guiding her in all aspects that I can, realizing that I will always show her the unconditional love and support I was always given.

I have been a member of Zeta Tau Alpha for over a year and have found many forms of proof that love is truly the greatest of all things that bring people together. People throw out the word when talking to their parents, friends or significant other, but I've found that the word doesn’t have much meaning until you’ve found something that opens your eyes and heart to what love truly is. I love my parents for all they do for me, I love my friends for the entertainment they bring into my life, I love me ZTA family for all the support they provide me with, I’m even confident I will love a guy that comes in to my life. Thanks to my time in ZTA, I’ve learned that love is a simple four letter that has come to mean a lot to me and isn’t a word I like to throw around meaninglessly. Love is the greatest of all things.