Don’t cry because it’s over; Smile because it happened.
Dr. Seuss
I lay in my bed, feeling hopeless and burnt out. I questioned if I was going to finish the semester the way I wanted to. I turned my head towards my wooden desk in my single dorm room and saw the blue Walmart envelope. I got up from my bed, grabbed the envelope, and opened it. Inside were pictures of the people in my life that I knew truly cared about me while I was here at Bonaventure.
The reason I had these pictures printed to begin with is because I had the idea of creating a memory board. On this board, I would fill it with pictures of some of the memories I shared with people I met at Bonaventure, while including pictures I enjoyed looking at from my childhood. With this board, I would use it to help remind me about the people who care and support me on days I feel like I cannot support myself.
One of the photos is of Norah, my friend Maddalena, and my fellow Her Campus sister Celeste, in our aprons at the St. Francis Inn with the ashes from Ash Wednesday on our foreheads. I always enjoyed this picture because it reminded me of the strength we had on this trip, knowing we chose to help those in need during a time we could have been at home with our families. The girls and I went on that trip to gain life experiences, and we left gaining something just as beautiful, a family. Even though the trip is long past us now, we still talk and stay connected like we did in Philadelphia.
Even though I have been doing my best to stay in the present when I go to places, something about taking photos and being able to print them out to keep the memories alive forever is perfect. It is also a joy when I get to see how I look in the photos and for the first time in my life, I see genuine happiness in my face. When I realized this, it made the moment when the picture was taken even more special. With the people in the photos that I have, I do not have to try and put on a face just because it looks good in the photo. Instead, I can be happy with the people I surround myself with and look back on that memory and remember that the day that photo was taken, it was not just a good day, but the perfect day.