It was the biggest gala in our history. We’d been working for months to give it our very best. We knew it meant so much to the organization.
The thing about events, you don’t get a second chance to make it right.
Soon after dinner I pulled an index card out of the pocket of my tuxedo and headed over to the president’s table. On the card were the names and table locations of the donors he needed to see that night.
I got to my boss’s table and asked if we could make the rounds. He gave me a disappointed look. He had just asked his wife to dance.
She was amazing. With a huge smile she told us both, “Go do your jobs!” and off we went.
I would get the president to his first stop, connect him with the donor or the couple and while they were chatting I would check to see where we were going next.
About halfway through the hall, I spied an older gentleman who had been associated with the organization for decades. He was a legend there.
For reasons unbeknownst to me, this fellow and the president had been estranged for many years. Their relationship was polite, but chilly.
He was standing right next to the table where we were headed. My palms started to sweat.
And then, I’m not sure what happened. He and the president saw each other and it must have been the warmth and spirit of the evening but the next thing I knew, these two fellows were embracing. An enormous bear hug.
They had tears in their eyes. I couldn’t hear what was said, but they were words of affection between two old friends.
From that moment on, their estrangement was gone.
I’m telling you, events can be wonderful things.
Next time a story I’ve never told before, about an event I believed in when no one else did, and the magic that happened that night.