Lover's Day on Triple Seventh

Lover's Day falls on everyday on the calendar, if you take into consideration of all nations, cultures, and people on earth. From Valentine's Day on February the 14th, Tanabata (Japanese Lover's Day) on July the 7th, Chi-hsi (Chinese Lover's Day) on August the 19th this year. Everybody hails love, romantic love to be specific.

Chinese Chi-hsi and Japanese Tanabata are of the same Chinese characters and share the same legend. It is about a loving couple, transform into Altair and Vega, separated on the opposite banks of the Milky Way. On Lover's Day, they are allowed to meet each other once a year. After the Meiji Restoration, Japanese adopted Gregorian Calendar and Tanabata was celebrated on July the 7th. As Chi-hi in China is still celebrated on the 7th day of the 7th month, lunar calendar, therefore one more Lover's Day was born.

What does seven mean to you? Is there a special meaning in seven? In our life, there are seven days in a week. We work, play, and rest according to the cycle of seven days. While seven means lucky to Westerners, seven means love to Orientals. Bingo, three sevens come together on July the 7th, 2007. It is not hard to imagine many couples register their marriages on triple seventh to wish for a lot of luck and love to their unity this year.

Saturday afternoon, the triple seventh, I opened the Toastmaster Magazine June issue. When I read "Want to Become a Wedding Speechwriter" by Laura Yeager, I answered without a second thought, "Yes, I do". Firstly, I love parties. Wedding parties are the utmost. Secondly, I like public speaking. The toast at a wedding party is joyful, sacred and meaningful. Most of all, I love the blissful atmosphere around the happy newly wed.

In the past years, I've been invited to a few weddings as the master of ceremonies. I've helped the parents of the brides and grooms write their wedding speeches. But, I've never thought about being a professional wedding speechwriter. After studying Laura's Sample Speech—Father of the Bride, I found it useful and helpful. And I hope I could have a chance to write a wedding speech to bless the couple in love in the future.

Ironically, I watched "Desperate Housewives" with my female Toastmasters friends Saturday evening for the first time. We watched two series in a row of the housewives on Wisteria Lane for two hours. At home, it is playing on Japanese satellite TV weekly, but I never have the urge to watch it. I guess I don't have the mood to see marriages go sour throughout the years. But I am glad finally I had a chance to watch the 2005 and 2006 Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series-Musical or Comedy. Sweet, bitter, or sour, the taste of love depends on us. That's what I learned on this triple lucky day of love. Sherry