Last week I was able to be part of all four performances of Beauty and the Beast. As I watched the cast and crew for several hours before the start through to the end of the show, I was caught up with the energy that every person was bringing so that the ‘show could go on’ (as we say in show biz!!!). Each night, as I watched this harmony of people all focused on the achievement of one goal, I was moved by a feeling that resonates so warmly in human hearts, but it is often so hard to find and hard to hold onto.
In all my time as a Chaplain, I could summarise most of the struggles and stress of both students and parents into one thing, the search for belonging. From my perspective as a support person in people’s lives, I find there is a deep need in all of us to find our individual place. That place that makes sense of our unique personal makeup and gives us that feeling that we fit, somewhere!
The feeling within the cast and crew of the production at the end of the last show is one that is very elusive. It is a feeling that can only come from knowing that you have all been part of a ‘thing’ that has drawn many uniquely designed people together to a place where they have all been vital to something happening. My one take-home message from this little thought is that, although hard, we are all created to ‘fit’ with others. My personal vision for Kennedy is using my own little bit of energy to create a space where every individual ‘fits’. I invite you all to do the same.
Peter Chase
College Chaplain • Pastoral Care
