Time to renew
To celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary, Kiki thought it might be a good idea to renew our wedding vows. When she told me of her plan, naturally I got very excited because I had no idea that they had even expired!
So we met the kids in Iceland, wrote a “Renewal Ceremony” for the tour guide to perform, and just before dinner at the foot of the Eyjafjallajokul volcano (the one that erupted in 2011 and disrupted the air traffic to and from Europe) we surprised the kids with an impromptu ceremony. Somehow, I thought the foot of an active volcano would be the perfect backdrop to commemorate 35 years of marriage. Kiki actually wore her wedding dress from 35 years ago. Nothing from 35 years ago comes close to still fitting me, but I still had the tie, and I wore that over my hiking shirt.
Once the kids got over the shock of what we were doing, and we began reciting our vows, they all had tears in their eyes. Then our guide who was performing the ceremony started to tear up as well. As jewelers, we all know the feeling of making people cry for the right reasons… nothing makes you feel better!
So, we finished up the ceremony, drank some champagne, posed for pictures and had dinner. Naturally, the conversation turned to commitment, and how in today’s society, people just don’t seem to stick to much of anything anymore. Diets and exercise programs are the obvious culprits.
As the holiday season approaches, its the perfect time to examine and renew the commitments you may have made in the past, but may have over-looked as time went by. Maybe its time to finally freshen up the store, get your sales staff some professional training, or figure out exactly what your insurance needs and coverages are. Whatever project you promised yourself, there are experts at The 24 Karat Club standing by to assist you every step of the way. And, speaking of commitment, admission into The 24 Karat Club is based in part upon a lifetime commitment of service to the retail jewelry industry. So, you know that no matter who you contact, you’ll be getting trusted, expert advice from someone who has pledged to commit their time and resources to benefit the retail jeweler.
Kiki and I, after 35 years, were blessed to be able to renew our vows to one another. We hope you, too, will take the time to renew your commitment to those people and projects that are important to you.
Howard Kelrick is President of Finger Mate and a board member of The 24 Karat Club, SEUS. Finger Mate manufactures and installs expandable ring shanks and sells to retail jewelers throughout North America. Contact Howard at 954-458-2700 or e-mail Howard@FingerMate.com.
