Chapel Talk by Nick DeMarte '08
I have been fighting myself for a long time about whether I was going to actually give one of these talks, and I am truly unsure of how to start it, so let me start like this. Since I came here in the fall and sat through my first one of these talks, I felt that they were a good way for people to share the experiences that they have been through, and that is what they always seem to be about, a variety of experiences. People have talked about football games, how boarding school is unique, trips to other countries and many other things, all having their own obvious message. But they all also meant something different to everyone in this room, whether these messages were carried with people when they left the room, or forgotten before they made it to the door.
Like most people sitting in this room right now, I also have many experiences similar to those we hear each week. However unlike most of the talks earlier this year, I am not planning on sharing any of my experiences. Instead, I am going to share some ideas with you, in the hope that they will get you thinking. Maybe they will draw from you a new idea or an emotion, or they may not do anything at all. I now invite you all to sit back, relax, and open your minds, hearts, and souls to anything and everything.
Don’t say goodbye,
When I tell you what I have to say.
Don’t turn and walk away
When I tell you what’s been haunting me.
Don’t start ignoring me,
When I finally tell the truth.
Don’t say a thing,
Except,
Thank You.
A perfect day with you,
Not wanting to leave.
On the phone with you,
Until I can’t stay awake.
Thinking you feel the same,
Wishing it would never end.
And now that I know,
The real way you feel.
I would give anything to go back,
And have you tight in my arms.
I am sorry,
And ask for your forgiveness
Because I waited so long.
And I thank you,
For the perfect day,
That will never leave,
My memories.
Throughout our days on earth, we meet an uncountable number of people. Some of them we meet once in our lives. Others we see everyday for months, sometimes years. Of these people, most of them we can’t remember a name or face, no less any other information about them, yet we know that someone was there doing that action in our memories. They become a phantom in our memories, an indefinable figure doing an unimportant action that for some strange reason is burned into our minds.
However, there are those few people whom we will never forget. We may have seen them every day in our lives, met them once or twice, or never met them at all. Yet someway, somehow they are permanently engraved into our memories and often our hearts. They may have been our best friend, helping us through the hardest times of our lives. They may have inspired us through some unfathomable action. They may have been our biggest hero, while unnoticeable to everyone else. No matter how they did it, they managed to become engraved into our memories, our hearts, and even our very souls. These are the people that we go through the amazingly high ups and the depressing lows of life for. They are the reason we fight through life, never giving up.
Eventually, they are not only part of our memories, but they begin to help define who we are. They have influenced us so much that we subconsciously have no choice but to try and be like them, not necessarily in every way, but in that one way that most affected us. We are, in a sense, not truly our own selves, but pieces of these different people that we hold closest to our hearts. All these people become an intricate part of who we are, woven deeply into the fabric of our souls, whether we realize it or not.
Because we all have so many different people making up who we are, it makes it impossible for us to be alone. Even when we feel like the world is against us and no one cares, we always have these people. We look into ourselves and realize that, despite whatever ominous entity is pushing us away from everyone, we still have people that care.
Acceptance is a double edge sword.
When accepted, it has
The power to heal.
The power to fill in
A person’s biggest holes.
Acceptance has the power
To save lives.
On the other side
Of that dreadful sword,
Not being accepted can hurt,
Making holes larger,
And larger.
Acceptance kills people,
Like you and me,
Both in spirit and in body,
Everyday.
Acceptance changes people.
Stealing their identity,
Changing their personality.
Now ask yourself.
When trying to be accepted,
Do you change who you are,
And have you killed anyone lately?
Heart Racing
Hard to breath
Can’t stop thinking
That this is the key
Hands shaking
Vision blurs
Mind starts racing
Room starts to turn
Eyes start raining
Words scramble out
Mind stops thinking
It’s finally all done.
I know that this talk has been something that a lot of you could care less about. A lot of your minds are preoccupied about what’s for dinner or some other event instead of listening to me talk. Others, I hope, have been listening intently, even if you completely disagree with what I have said or you have no idea what I am saying. I realize that to a lot of you these talks are just something that you’re forced to sit through all dressed up and you can’t wait to get out of here and off to dinner. So before you all leave, let me just say this: I hope that at least one of you got something out of this that you can take with you out that door, and if more than one of you did get something out of my talk, I hope that what each of you take away will be completely different. Thank you.
