Homecoming

2018
Homecoming weekend at the University of Washington.
Every year I get an invite from my fraternity for an alumni gathering.
Being an actor I'm mostly not available for weekend gatherings but not this year.
This year I was free.
Still, I found enough excuses to not go until Eric called and convinced me.
I'd fantasized about homecoming before; returning back to where so many memories were created.
After a gathering at Burke Museum (which was nice) we meandered back to the house where it all started.
On the walk over I thought about my first night in the house.
The day before we were to move in I broke in and staked claim to a small room behind the kitchen.
A bunch of young men from the dorms and beyond got together and became brothers.
Pi Kappa Phi is an amazing national organization.
I was lucky enough to be at the centennial celebration and I'm proud to call these men brothers.
This chapter (Alpha Delta) was ours.
29 years later I'm wandering around the house seeing the places so many moments happened.
THIS night, it's filled with a party of young people (I don't know) living their own moments.
Creating their own memories.
It's my home and I feel comfortable wandering the space but I also feel out of place.
It's home from another time.
The nostalgia is strong but I felt like a specter meandering the halls.
It's understandable.
I recall the old guys that helped us re-charter our chapter and how I thought,
What are these old dudes doing here?
And now it's me.
Re-chartering  was challenging.
There were tests and many hoops to jump through to be accepted.
One task was to write a mission statement in under 30 words that succinctly summed our purpose.
THAT chapter meeting was arduous.
Agreement was difficult.
There was bickering and frustration.
Amidst this argumentation I worked on putting the words I was hearing together.
After a while I offered up a suggestion that was agreed upon and ratified.
It was the words of all of us in the room.
That was 29 years ago.
I wonder do these Pi Kapps feel the way I felt about this fraternity.
So many powerful moments happened because of brotherhood.
Friendship is one thing but brotherhood, well that's a little bit different.
Eventually some young brothers approach and we converse.
Not sure what to say I blurt out, "I wrote the mission statement."
Three young men in unison stand up straight and in loud voices boom

Pi Kappa Phi is A Gentleman's Fraternity where brotherhood is the utmost. We strive to attain excellent academic standards and we shall never haze.

They knew ALL the words.
Filled my chest with pride.
Brotherhood crosses generations after-all.