20 years past.

A lifetime lived in the blink of an eye.

And here I stand offering them advice about cherishing the moment. The joy in the friendships they have. The reminder that they are merely scratching the surface of what these relationships will grow to become.

The tears welled up as I told them about the moments women had lifted me. Moments I could not have imagined all those years ago while standing in the same spot they were.

I mentioned my own girls and my hopes for them in the years to come. My desire that they too find a community that will support them when family may not cut it.

After the talk, two young women took me through the hallways of the house, past my room that spring semester junior year which housed a million late night conversations.

The pictures on the walls brought an overwhelming sense of happiness.

Happy that I could be here at this time to share a small snippet of my story.

Happy that the young girl smiling at me found a place like this.

Happy that 20 years later the legacy of what we started there has lived on.