This past week I went to dinner with a group of girls, well women, that I was in a sorority with in college. It was a mini-reunion of sorts. Most of them I hadn’t seen in twenty years. Prior to attending I debated going of course. I wondered what we would still have in common after all these years. I wondered if we would be able to keep a conversation (of course we would, we’re women after all). I even wondered if I still looked good, young, etc to go (dumb, I know), I mean we’re ALL twenty years older. Anyhow, I stopped wondering and stopped looking for excuses and went. It was great, it actually felt the same as it did 20 years ago. I wasn’t close to all of these women back in college (some were younger, some older), but we had things in common. We all went to the same college, lived in the same house, knew the same stories, and had memories from that time we could all laugh about. I was also able to see one of my roommates and closest friends, Anne. I believe the last time I physically saw her was as a bridesmaid at my wedding almost 20 years ago. She still lives far away, but the timing was right and she happened to be in town. Most of us are married, most of us are moms, and more than likely, most of us struggle with similar things on a daily basis. We shared lots of laughs and memories of old boyfriends and different events (some of which I don’t think I wanted to remember). It was not time wasted.
Me and Anne
I read a quote which said, ‘ Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose.’ The Wonder Years The simple line that struck me was, ‘the things you are.’ Our memories, our past make us who we are today; we can’t erase or forget them. Having cancer and going on that roller-coaster ride of emotions and memories I would rather forget has made me the person I am right this minute. I am more self-aware and more selfish with my time, but I am also, stronger and braver. As much as I want to move forward and forget the past few years, I realize that it’s the past that has given me this current strength. We cannot live in the past and we also cannot base our lives on the memory of how we used to be. We grow and mold ourselves daily based on our experiences and new memories. Use your memories, both good and bad, to help you become wiser and stronger.
Today I wear Mally High Shine Liquid Lipstick in Blossom-a beautiful mauvey/plum because everyday, we blossom into someone new.
Anna's Lipstick Journey 
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