♫All you need is love… Love is all you need. ♫
The Beatles is one of those bands who made a mark in people’s lives because of their songs and the message they send to the listeners.
This song, for example, speaks about how love can make the world a better place.
What a simple yet powerful message that is.
A line in the song goes: “There’s nowhere you can be that isn’t where you’re meant to be…”
A choir teacher from Hingham Middle School in Massachusetts was where he was meant to be.
He may not know it at that time, yet, but he would soon realize that when he got the best surprise ever!
Christopher Landis was a great choir director that deserved only the best.
His students love him very much because he brings such positive energy to school and always has a smile on his face.
He didn’t know that his students were brewing a surprise for him during his special day.
He and his then-fiancé Joe Michienzie were holding a rehearsal brunch for their upcoming wedding.
“I noticed that everyone was holding video cameras, and I was like, ‘What’s going on?’ And then I saw the first student come in. But it really hit me until, I mean, all of these students came in, and they were smiling, and they were all dressed up. And then I started crying,” Christopher recalled the events with Inside Edition.
His students slowly filled the room and started singing The Beatles’ ‘All You Need is Love.’
There were 50 kids all dressed up and with songbooks on hand.
His colleague, Dona Maher, sat behind the keyboard and started playing, and the kids soon sang the classic hit in chorus.
There was no dry eye in the room as this sweet surprise brought the soon-to-be newlyweds to tears.
“There’s nothing you can know that isn’t known.”
Christopher was surprised that the students came there to sing for his rehearsal brunch when he wasn’t that open about his identity to his students.
He feared students and parents might be uncomfortable with him as their teacher.
And whenever Joe stopped by his class, he often referred to him as his “friend.”
However, two parents knew about this and their upcoming wedding.
They loved Christopher, and he was an excellent teacher to their kids, so they asked Joe how they could participate.
Then, they emailed other parents about the plan and practiced the song for over a month in a public library on Sundays so Christopher would have no idea.
This surprise assured Christopher that the students knew about his gender and that they understood.
The song did fit perfectly for the moment.
It was then that he realized that being open about his identity might create a safe space for a student, especially for someone in class who might be struggling at home or school.
In the end, love is all we ever really need.
Watch the full video below and see how this classic The Beatles song captured this perfect moment.
