Speech Samples
From weddings to commencements, board rooms to award rooms, the PTA to the Senate floor, Pen Forward’s got you covered.
Maid of Honor Speech
I met Molly in sixth grade. We played soccer together and her dad was the coach. And I’m pretty sure we managed to do just about every group project together in school from then until we graduated.
I don’t know that I’ve ever told her this, but Molly has always been my constant and my compass. Whenever my life was rough, I knew that if I hung out with Molly, we never had to talk about it. I’d mention whatever it was in passing and then we’d study or play Halo or watch bad horror movies and I could pretend to be totally fine, which is what I needed. And whenever I’d stray from being the kind of person I wanted to be, I’d look to Molly to correct my course. She was my True North.
It took me a long time to figure out exactly what I wanted to say to my best friend of fifteen years on her wedding day and how I wanted to say it. Because, of course, I want to tell everyone about all of our inside jokes and about all the creek adventures and ski trips and ridiculous photo shoots and how she always refuses to call to order pizza, so I always do it and pretend to be British or something because it makes her laugh…but in the end, I realized what I really want to say…
Is that Molly and I have known each other – and known each other very well – for a long time. I am so proud of the incredible young woman she’s become. And the thing that I love best about Molly is that even though she’s my constant…just when I think I know who she is and what she thinks about everything…she’ll surprise me. And it’s always a pleasant surprise. And every time she says or does something that surprises me, I love and admire her a little more.
So my wish for you, Desmond and Molly, on your wedding day, is that I hope you will be True North for one another. I hope you will be each other’s constants. I hope you will make each other laugh. But most of all I hope that no matter how well you know each other, you will always be pleasantly surprised.
End-of-Year Pre-K PTA Speech
Good evening, everyone. I’m Pebbles, the room mom for the Apple Room.
As you may know, the Apple Room is for our 2-and-a-half to 3-year-olds.
It’s a magical age, full of wonder and discovery and learning, but it’s a complicated one. Being a toddler is hard. For many of these children, this is their first experience with a group of their peers. They’re navigating social dynamics for the first time. ‘Sharing’ is a word they’re just beginning to understand, which can lead to some dramatic confrontations. Everything these kids experience is the best or the worst thing they’ve ever felt.
I can tell you as a mother to one of these kids, patience is paramount. Can you imagine the patience and compassion it must take to nurture eight of them at the same time? But that’s what Barney and Betty, our amazing teachers, do every day. They take these eight little children and teach them, diligently, consistently, and kindly, how to be little people. In the Apple Room, our children learn how to express their big feelings in ways that are constructive, how to consider the big feelings of others, how to build good habits that will last them a lifetime, and how to have fun doing it. Children’s brains learn best through play, and I’ve seen firsthand how enthusiastic these kids are to play whatever new game or activity Barney and Betty have devised for them.
This year, I’ve seen these children grow and develop by leaps and bounds, individually and as a group. It’s so rewarding to see their excitement for Shabbat every week and to know they’re learning about their heritage and traditions in a way that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. These are just a few of the gifts Barney and Betty have given our children in the past year, and I cannot express to them enough our gratitude for their commitment, their compassion, and their care.
So on behalf of myself and all the parents whose lives they’ve touched and all the children who have gotten such a wonderful headstart in life, thank you, Barney and Betty, for everything you do.