It seems to me that some of the most important events that happen throughout our lives are the unions we make. Unions of all types form the sort of person we are and, ultimately, the person we become.
A wedding is one of the few unions that we seem to make official. The exchange of vows, the contract, the celebration-all of these are traditionally part of this union.
But many unions are as important as a wedding. The very earliest is that between mother and child. Through this union, we learn so much that will guide us through the rest of our lives and in the other unions we make.
Our mothers are most often the ones who teach us. Often, a mother's teaching comes through example and action, more so than deliberate instruction. Our family homes-no matter how often we may have moved-always seem to have certain smells that will remind us of the union of family and home. This connection, which occurs very early, is powerful. Later in life, that smell may come to us, and it will evoke that union. I know there are perfumes I can smell in a crowded room that, in my mind, will transport me from that room. They will let me remember a certain person, place and time and, thus, another union.
Our school years bring the unions of peers as well as teachers and other mentors. This period gives us again a wonderful lesson in life, teaching us how to react to our new relationships, our new unions, with people, places and things.
We in the special event industry are in the business of making unions memorable. The corporation and its client, the management and its employees, the couple in marriage-all of these form strong unions with the help of celebration. We often become the main conduits of a union. It is a major responsibility.
As mentioned, one of the official unions we experience in life is that of a marriage or an exchange of vows. I had the great honor of being the best man in a wedding last fall. Its theme was "One Plus One Equals Three." What the couple meant by this was that they, as individuals, were one and two and the life that they made with each other was three.
I find this a powerful thought. After all, don't all unions equal three, because from each union of two things comes yet another?
We have all learned that the union of two people in what we have come to call a wedding is usually followed by a joyous celebration. At the risk of sounding sentimental, I will say that all unions deserve celebration of one sort or another. This being the case, celebrations should come often, as unions in our lives come often.
The bottom line says to me, celebrate life!
