Keeping in touch with Diamond Sisters...

[ADPiAkron]

I am having a day like no other. For some odd reason I have been thinking back in time about alot of things, but most importantly ADPi and my time as a collegiate. I just watched the Theta Rush video and I just sat and cried. When the woman spoke of how close she is with her big it really hit home. During my four years as a Delta in ADPi I had four Diamond Sisters. At one point or another I was best friends with each of them. The first Diamond was older than me and graduated before me, so we naturally grew apart. My second Diamond was my best friend even after I became a Pi member, but we have slowly grown apart. My third Diamond and I had a complete understanding of one another and now we no longer speak. My fourth and final Diamond was my baby. She came in the fall of my senior year and I just fell in love with her. She was the sweetest most caring person I had ever met. She was worried when I was worried, happy when I was happy, sad when I was sad...and most importantly we were always there for each other. As I sit here today, I do not feel the close bond with each of them as I used to. I have wanted to call them or email them...but are lives are so different now...and so are the circles we associate with. My two youngest Diamonds are still Undergrads. I guess I just needed to vent, but I also want to let all of you know...It means the world to me to sit here each day and night and share my life with you. Although you are technically complete strangers I have a bond with each of you. Do not ever forget we live for each other and I will always be here for each and everyone one of you.

Loyally,
Andrea

[ASUADPi]

Andrea,
I totally feel you. My diamond and I were very close. But unfortunately she went alum in the spring of 1998 (when I was initiated) and then I transferred out of U of A. In the last 6 years I have probably only spoken to her six times. I hate it. I never got to take a little, so I feel extremely bummed that I can't talk to my diamond.
I understand that when you graduate college things change and people tend to grow apart, maybe I'm just selfish when I say that I somewhat expected my diamond to actually want to contact me every so often. But unfortunately I think it goes back to her. I hate to say this, but it is so true, some girls really only think of a sorority as a 'college' thing.
I mean think about, in Arizona we probably have 300 to 400 inititiated members (collegians and alumnae) that live in the state. The Phoenix Alumnae association probably only has 50 active members. That seems really pathetic in the grand scheme of things.
I love my diamond, but I truly thing she is one of those people where sorority life was for college and not beyond.

This might sound like a crazy idea, but what about the idea of 'adopting' other sisters as diamonds? Sisters on this board.

Well there is my two cents.

Brianna

[Adelphean]

Ya'll are making me sad!!!!
My big Diamond is graduating in August! She is moving to ATL for Pharmacy school. She is my best friend, and every time I think about her leaving I cry! I DREAD Senior Sendoff Day! I'm going to be a total wreck! The only positive things I see for the future are 1) she's only 1 1/2 hour away and 2) her boyfriend and I are really good friends (so he and I will go see her a bunch!)

I'm really sad talking about this!

On the same note...
My "closest" friends at my chapter are all graduating. Don't get me wrong I LOVE all the girls in my Alpha class and even our new girls, but my BEST friends are leaving! Have any of you been in this situation, and if so, how did you handle it?

[ADPiAkron]

Thanks ladies! I am so glad others feel the same! Oh yea and for my older Diamond we have a complete understanding of one another and could not speak for 20 yrs and pretend like it was yesterday when we see each other...it's sad though, she lives in LA now. As for friends going away and graduating...I am not gonna lie...it is really hard...but it is nice because I made friendships with sisters that might not have happened otherwise! So just stay involved and the new friendships will bloom!! And as you said, you and your diamond are best friends now...keep it that way...make an effort...unlike me!!

Oh yea and Brianna....GC Diamond Sisters would be fun!!

[honeychile]

I understand where y'all are coming from. My original Diamond graduated my freshman year. We stayed in touch, but superficially. We actually worked across the street from each other for 2 years and never even had lunch!

My second Diamond was depledged for Standards reasons, and ended up a member of another sorority! I often wondered if they had a different set of Standards than we, or did she just hide things better!

My last Diamond was my very best friend. We had a falling out when I got married, and while we're still friends, it's not the same. We see each other at a reunion every year, but that's about it.

But the best part of being an Alpha Delta Pi is that you're not just close to the sisters of your chapter - you have an entire country full of sisters! Some of my closest friends now are sisters from other chapters, and while the core of sisters with whom I was close in school have scattered around the world, we are still in touch on a regular basis.

One of the best sayings I've ever heard was "You Gotta Wanna". If you want to do something badly enough, you will. If you want to stay friends, you probably will make the time to keep in touch. Any time I start feeling pouty about missing someone (or not losing some weight, or making enough money, or, or, or), I realize that I obviously just don't want it enough. It works for me!!!

[WLFEO]

I love the idea of Virtual Diamond Sisters!

[polarpi]

I agree with the GC Diamond Sisters...that would be great! (Or maybe we can set it up on the Yahoo group, hmmm.....

My story with my diamond sisters is different, sort of, from yours. My older diamond and I weren't necessarily *very* close, but her and I hit it off very well and we still keep in occassional touch. I love her dearly and have the plaque she made me right above my desk here so I can see it every day and remember my special sister.

My younger diamond and I are like two peas in a pod, which is kind of ironic considering we're really NOTHING alike! We come from opposite ends of the country (me from rural San Diego county, her from right outside NYC), I'm shy and she's very outgoing, and all that fun stuff, but where it really counts, her and I strike a chord within one another. When she came to our informal recruitment events my senior year I absolutely fell in love with her, and when she accepted our bid, I told the president as we ran over to Walmart to get sodas for the bid day party that she HAD to be my diamond sister (at that time, everyone in my diamond *family* (I use the term loosely) had been an Elementary Education major, as was my soon-to-be diamond sister). At that time, we took a week to reveal diamond sisters, so it was so much fun sneaking her little gifts....she never figured out it was me until we finally revealed! Her and I are really close, and talk as often as we can....she's engaged to be married next year, and I've already been asked to be in the wedding, and you better darn well believe I'll move heaven and earth to be in New York for her wedding....she's my baby diamond!

I understand how Lindsay is feeling with her closest friends in the chapter graduating. I didn't go through it, but everyone in the classes behind me told me that's how they felt when my class graduated. A lot of the girls who graduated with me were the *fun* people to hang out with, and I know that my diamond and her roommate were two of the ones who were really sad to see us go. I wish I had better words advice for you, Lindsay, but I really don't

[Adelphean]

I'm in NO WAY a crier, but everytime I think of Steph (my Diamond) leaving I start to cry... She is THE best and closest friend I've ever had. My Diamond and Grand-Diamond (who I'm close with as well) are both leaving at the same time. Steph and I are truely(and this sounds cheesy) soulmates. We like ALL the same things, and I'm not kidding (except tomatoes) I just HATE the fact that she is graduating. ADPi just won't be the same without her and my other friends.... I just don't know what to do. She is the IDEAL adpi and I (and the rest of my chapter) are losing her! It sucks! Everyone at some point in time has a hard time w/ drama inside and outside of the sorority. She and my other senior friends understand and relate, unlike the girls in my class who I also love dearly. I don't know what I'm going to do when I have no one to VENT to and no one to talk to. I don't mean to make it sound like I don't talk to any of the other girls, I do and I love them, but it's just not the same. Nicole, my other, I guess "big Diamond" left in December. I still see her but it's not the sam,e and I'm just afraid that when Steph moves we'll grow apart, which really kills me inside.

... This is a long post I just realized... sorry!

I guess I am just worried b/c I've had few "best" friends in my life and no matter how much we've *tried* to keep in touch, we eventually just grow apart. I guess I have convinced myself that this will happen with me and Steph... She's not even gone and I already miss her...

Sorry to bore you all!

[nauadpi]

I know the situation all too well of seniors graduating and it feeling like all my best friends have left. With my chapter we were very small when I began. And do to people graduating early or transfering or leaving college entirely or 2 that left on other terms... When I graduated there were only two of us from my original alpha class... So no matter what I really had become closer to those adpi's graduating before me. They were the chapter and they were the one's I had done everything with. The big thing I found is that aim has been my savior. It helps me at least check up on them.

Now as for diamond sister that is an interesting one. My diamond sister and I were really close. Which is a funny thing in itself. When I joined my alpha class almost doubled the size of the chapter. So there were a bunch of us that were more assigned diamond sisters then having us be picked. In turn my diamond sister and I were just put together. Well after my first semester she had to go inactive for a semester (many reasons involved there)... So it wasn't till my sophmore year that we got really close... Then we were close til the end. The end being a falling out in which she chose a guy over everything else in life.

Then there is my first diamond sister I took. She and I hung out a bunch and had a great time. Then she decided in the middle of a spring semester that a guy she had met 2 months before was her soul mate. She left school in the middle of a weekend and never came back. I haven't talked to her since.

Then there is my second diamond sister. Again we had a great time hanging out, but she realized that NAU wasn't for her and she didn't want to keep wasting her tribes money (She is native american and her tribe was paying for her to go to college)... So she left. We check up on each other periodically, but that is about it.

Then there is my third diamond sister. She and I are just funny. Sometimes almost too much alike. The nice part for us has been that I am still in Flagstaff even though I graduated in December. So far we are doing great, especially since she randomly calls me with her nervous breakdowns. I just hope we can keep in touch this way for a while.

[ADPi~Ally]

My big sis (or diamond sister) and I are really close. We used to hang out almost every week, and when we couldn't, we talk on the phone. She is my best friend. But since she got married in October, we don't keep in contact with other every week. But I know she is there if I need her. She wasn't my big when i 1st joined. I got a big sis when I 1st joined, but like 2 weeks later she went alumn, so I never met her, so I don't consider her my big. Then summer came, and I didn't have a big sis, I was adopted by my now "Aunt" in my family until I got a diamond sister. She made me feel welcomed and took the time to get to know me. The time initiation came, my big sister now was picked to be my diamond sister. So in the end, she turned out the be the best big sis.
I have 2 lil sisters. My 1st one, we get along well, I wanted her to my lil and she wanted me to be her big. She is really is a wonderful sister. And I'm so proud of her because she was the President of the sorority. My 2nd lil, she's a great sister. We're not close, but I wanna change that. I am glad of who I got.
For Diamond sister revealing, my 1st lil, we were at chapter retreat, and we got a long piece of string, and wove it around furniture, etc and at the end of the line was me. Then we gave a gift. For for my 2nd lil we had an alphie pass, where someone would start passing a stuffed animal lion and we would sing an ADPi song and whoever held on to the Alphie after so many passes, would be the diamond sister.