Passing the test of time

Forty-four years ago I married my husband.   It was a small wedding in Wimbledon, England.  We were young, but that’s what you did back then.  I was twenty-one and my husband was three years older.

Three years later we were off on a big, exciting adventure – we emigrated to Canada.  We didn’t have jobs, but with the confidence of youth, we were sure that would not be a problem. And it wasn’t.

This past weekend we hosted a wedding reunion – as by chance our best man and his wife were here on vacation from England, and our bridesmaid and her family were visiting Canada from Scotland. 

We’d known both since we were young children, so our friendship spanned over sixty years.  On the Saturday night, there were twelve of us gathered around to celebrate – not just our anniversary but being together once again.

It was incredible.  It was like slipping back in time as we shared stories, jokes and updated each other on what was happening in our lives.  They say that laughter burns calories and if this is true, I lost pounds this past weekend.  I haven’t laughed continuously like that in a long, long time.  Not only that, our adult children all got on well too. 

You may be wondering where I am going with this blog and what it has to do with business, but it has everything to do with business.  It’s about relationships, trust and staying connected.

When did you last connect with your top customers or ones who have been with you for years?  Have those relationships stood the test of time?  Sometimes we spend so much time looking for new clients that we forget the ones who’ve stayed with us; who have been loyal and with whom we have a trusting relationship. 

Don’t take them for granted.  Like any relationships, you have to stay connected and take an interest to keep the two-way communication working.

We have wonderful memories from this reunion and this gathering marks the highlight of my year.