One of these days I am going to put aside the time to research the history of the candle. We give great acclaim to Mr. Edison for inventing the light bulb that serves us so well. Why is it then that I never hear about the individual who invented the candle? Bottom line is that the light bulb has been serving us for about 150 years. The candle has been around many hundreds of years more before the bulb and serves us well to this day. I would like to start a campaign to give it the recognition it deserves. There is something so romantic about a flame from a candle as opposed to the light from a bulb. I couldn't imagine a light bulb replacing the impact of a candle in the unity candle ceremony. Each and every religious and ultra spiritual event is magnificently enhanced by the flicker of a candle. It must have taken an incredibly creative mind, all those centuries ago, to develop the joining of the wax and wick and to bring it to such a fine design that has absolutely withstood the test of time. It would seem to me that it could only be surpassed by the discovery of fire itself. The next time you blow out the candles on a birthday cake, look back and pay homage to this timeless invention.

Jennifer and Marty are the kind of couple that were probably descendants of Army barracks NCO's. They are what I would refer to as "White Glove" people. Everything they participate in must undergo a thorough inspection.It took them 18 months to select their reception hall for their wedding. They underwent a year-long investigation choosing their wedding cake. My sister, who was the maid-of-honor was interrogated for three hours. Some bridal party members were rejected because they were NY Yankee fans (a real NO-NO in Boston). Speaking about their home town of Boston, these two would probably have found objection to the time of Paul Revere's ride and rescheduled it.I can't imagine the trials and tribulations they went through deciding between the sand and the candles for their unity ceremony. I could see them in the kitchen during the reception, tasting each item before it was served. My sister thinks they had an FBI agent, who is a friend of theirs, do a background check on each of the band members. When they had their blood tests for their wedding license, they had DNA tests done on themselves. Imagine what their poor children are going to have to endure.

Many young people today are of the opinion that beach weddings are the epitome of romance. Being, unfortunately, a tad older than these youthful romantics, I find my position on the subject to be quite the opposite. I see very little romance in the fact that the entire affair would be dependent on the weather conditions. The what ifs offer a preponderance of doubts. I would never find the courage to play the odds of the looming possibility of getting rained out or even worse winded out. Even tenting the reception would be a poor defense against the wind. Certainly there have been many successful attempts at this type of wedding, but there also are approximately 100 lottery winners every week in this country. The fact is, I have been around far to long to depend on luck. Possibly my view would be different back when my courage was at a far higher level. These thoughts have all arisen since the day our son and his fiancee announced to my wife and myself that they needed help selecting beach wedding favors for their soon to arrive nuptials at their destination wedding in Maui. I think they approached us because they have possibly bit off a bit more than they can chew with all the expenses involved in this destination thing. In other words, we'll be buying the favors.