Ask Me How I'm Doing
Joseph Delamerced
Jesus wept.
John 11:35 (NIV)
“It is an honor and a privilege to tell someone, ‘I am going to
miss you.’ For the seniors here, I ask that this honor is one to
reserve for the families you’ve been given and the ones you’ve
forged.”
I pause and wait for applause. It’s short, it sounds polite, and
I’m not too surprised. As I step down from the podium, I hear
something else.
yet have the necessary confidence. I wanted to say something
that everyone could understand and take to heart. The speech
went through a number of drafts, edits, and changes, but the
core message stayed constant: I wanted to say what family
means.
I thought that football might be a good way to connect such
an abstract idea to something popular and relevant. I figured
that if people laughed, they would have to stay awake. They
might listen. I tried starting off that way.
“Yeah! All right, Philip!” “Do you know what it’s like to be a fan of the Cleveland
Browns?”
Lizzie’s the only one to stand, proudly, with an applause
louder than any section in the chapel. My face breaks out into
an infectious smile. I hear a familiar laugh. I look up and see Lizzie trying to
muffle her giggling with her hand. Even still, her eyes are
beaming back at me, encouraging me to keep going.
“Thank you,” I mouth. “Maybe after you’ve thrown four interceptions,” I continued,
“People have left your life and thought you weren’t valuable.
And maybe people tried re-entering your life after you
improved and scored the game-winning touchdown.”
“You’re welcome,” she whispers. She gives me a thumbs up.
People begin to stare at her, and she lets out one more loud,
brief “Whoo!” to spite the judgmental eyes.
I’ve always liked the idea of giving a Chapel Talk: an
opportunity to talk about any topic or value close to my heart.
It was hosted in our school’s chapel, a place that most people
found refreshing — as long as they could sleep while they sat
there.
While only a few seniors decided to do it, these speeches
often felt one-dimensional, written more like shoutouts rather
than personal reflections. How was I supposed to listen to
something not addressed to me, full of inside jokes and
personal references that I’ll never understand?
I knew I wanted to deliver a Chapel Talk, even when I didn’t
More people started to laugh. Hopefully, they don’t just
remember the jokes. It’s not that big of a joke.
Do they think I’m a joke?
****
“Philip, you can’t keep thinking that way.”
“It’s a legitimate question.”
I grin at Lizzie, half-sarcastic, half-serious. She looks at me,
scrunches her face, and groans. “Dude, just write! People will
laugh.” She quickly adds: “At the joke, not you!”
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