How Lucky They Are

Saturday evening I officiated Rachel and Drew’s wedding ceremony at the Historic 512 Building, in Fort Worth, Texas. Here are the remarks I shared with them and their guests:

One of the first questions I, and many others, ask Rachel, when they first meet her is if she is related to "those" Rothschilds. For a question she constantly has to answer, she is surprisingly good humored about it. She told me that though the answer is no, that name can still help you get a good table at a restaurant...

Now, interestingly, that idea touches on in an important concept in all our lives, one we are sometimes loathe to think about, the power of luck. Because, if you think about it, really the only difference between the heiress, Charlotte Henriette de Rothschild, and Rachel Rothschild is just that, luck. And paradoxically, research shows that the Charlottes of the world are less likely to recognize this, and more likely to see themselves as self-made.

I believe that discounting the power of luck is not only factually wrong, but you can really miss out on a lot, if that is your approach. This might sound unAmerican, but attributing what you get to your own careful planning and hard work can lead you astray, if you think that is the WHOLE story. Recognizing your good fortune makes you humbler in character, and more grateful for what you have.

The origin story of Rachel and Drew's relationship is illustrative in that sense. Rachel tells the story well: "Drew and I met the first week of our freshman year of college at Oklahoma State University. OSU has one of the largest Homecomings in the nation that the Greek community is heavily involved in. Each sorority gets paired with a fraternity. I rushed Alpha Delta Pi (ADPi), and we were paired with Farm House my freshman year... We were handed a tie, and as we walked to the front, the tie’s owner would be our ‘Buddy’.  Well my tie’s owner just happened to be Drew. I remember thinking how cute he was when he walked up, and I was pretty excited that he would be forced to be with me for the next few months." Some people flip coins, other draw sticks, this couple ended up here because of a lucky tie!

That lucky break led to a long relationship. Though still fairly young, Rachel and Drew have been together for a long time. And they have put in the hard work necessary to form a lasting foundation, and it shows. As Drew says, "I know everything about her and she about me. We have been best friends since our freshman year. We have had our ups and downs but no matter what we both truly love each other. I get to be my goofy self, make stupid jokes and she still laughs... (We) just have a good time.... When I have a bad or stressful day at work I know that the second I see her face everything else won’t matter."

Rachel feels the same, when she says, "Drew is my best friend and better half... He tells me I’m beautiful everyday, even when I’m not feeling my best. He’s the only person that I can be goofy and act like a kid with. Everything is fun with him around. Sitting on the couch doing nothing is 100% better if we do it together. I know that there will never be a dull moment with him."

But they never forget how lucky they are, and this makes them so much more grateful for what they have. As Rachel says, "He is the type of man I always dreamed about." And as Drew say, "She is the love of my life and I am extremely lucky to have her."