Milestone

Celebrating milestones is what my business, Minnesota Life Celebrations, is all about. This week I have a milestone of my own to celebrate. Last Saturday a wedding at the Mayowood Stone Barn marked my 500th ceremony! In the thirteen years since I started on this journey as a Humanist Celebrant I’ve had the honor to meet hundreds of couples, to mourn with more than tens of families, and to celebrate new additions to families.

My primary goal has been to offer secular, religion-free ceremonies to celebrate life’s milestone moments. I’ve honed my skill in writing and offering personal ceremonies that work to authentically honor each person or couple. I’ve cherished the many kind words from the people I’ve served and look forward to continuing to offer humanist ceremonies in the Rochester area.

The hundreds of couples I’ve married include people of all ages and all walks of life. They include varying sexual orientations and gender identities. They include first and subsequent marriages. They include large gatherings and intimate ceremonies. During Covid especially, many of the ceremonies were limited to only the couple and their two required legal witnesses, the smallest gathering possible. Each one, however, celebrated the love and commitment of the couple as they moved forward as a married couple.

It has been my privilege to work with families following the death of a loved one. We’ve honored and celebrated these people. We’ve remembered their lives and reflected on the impact their lives have had on those around them. The focus shifts to include not only mourning their loss, but celebrating their life well lived.

Celebrating milestones has also included welcoming new children into families. These simple, brief ceremonies bring together family and close friends to offer support to the parents and to welcome the new addition to the family. They are happy ceremonies and can help bridge differing beliefs within a family.

More people are leaving organized religion. The need for secular ceremonies celebrating milestones like births, marriages and deaths is only increasing. So, while I pause today to celebrate my own milestone, it’s time to get back to work on the ceremonies scheduled for the rest of this year. I offer a sincere thank you to all the people who have placed their trust in me through the years. And I look forward to meeting new clients looking to honor milestone moments in their own lives.