| Last weekend I officiated the wedding of my friends Connie and Mike. What an honor!
We started preparing for the celebration in 2020. I drafted a script for the ceremony chocked with wording alternatives, and I sent it to them for review and discussion. But when the pandemic postponed the wedding, I forgot about the script altogether. Instead, I became their Mentor in addition to their Officiant.
Like earnest Mentees, the happy couple followed my guidance, embraced my advice, and incorporated my ideas. A week before the wedding, Connie sent me an email with the “final” ceremony script. I printed it, glanced it over, and tucked it into my suitcase. While I fretted about my shoes, I didn’t bother with the script. The bride had! On the day of the wedding, I pulled out the script to rehearse. And that’s when I discovered the gaping holes: “I do” had disappeared, and “with this ring, I thee wed” was missing! And it didn’t appear intentional. An hour before the wedding, I scrambled to find the bride and groom and offer my most important mentoring. I urged an adjustment to the ceremony, prodding, “You’ll simply repeat after me.” Like spirited Mentees, Connie and Mike each said, “I trust you.” I scribbled my changes onto my copy and hurried to the altar to start the ceremony. And as they repeated after me and placed a ring on each other’s left hand, I exhaled with relief! But I was left wondering, “How had I missed that?” And then it struck me… I had stopped mentoring. I had become a Wayward Mentor. I offered mentoring when it was convenient for me, but not when it was important to them. And so, at my friends’ wedding, I also made a vow: I promise to never just do my job when I can also make a difference. © 2021. Ann Tardy and Mentor Lead. www.mentorlead.com |