Peace be with you,

And also with you.

The pastor serenades us with song,

But tension still commands the room.

My hands shake.

I am six and this is my first time

Performing.

I say no words,

I just stand in as the Virgin Mary.

Mary, herself, would know

This isn't the right role for me.

My hands won't stop shaking.

I am overwhelmed with feelings.

Fear and shock drown my senses.

Baby Jesus, plastic and small,

Rocks back and forth in my hands.

My first performance,

I thought it would be my last.

I played the Virgin Mary two more times.

That is where the irony lies.

The process is simpler.

Jesus is born and then he dies.

But my love didn't grow,

It took it's time.

More and more years,

And seasons of change came.

My sister was the first real performer of our clan.

She was seventeen and shy,

But she was the bravest of us all.

She tried out for a show,

But only ended up getting Ghost #3.

No matter the part,

She played it beautifully with full heart.

Through her bravery,

My love was found.

I fell in love with this funny thing called theatre and theater.

To this day, nothing has changed.

It started with peace be with you.

To the individual who races to find who they are,

To the memory of what we wanted as kids,

And to who we are in this moment,

I congratulate the seeker,

The risk-taker,

And the storyteller in mind.

I am along with you in that ride.

Cliché as it might be,

There is grace in the unknown.

Chances needed to be taken.

For what it is worth and what it will be,

Peace be with you,

And also with you.