Alva Review-Courier -

Last weekend, we made a flying trip to Fayetteville, Arkansas, to watch my eldest niece solemnize her nuptials. It was far less painful than it sounded – at least for the bride and groom. The weather front that passed through Alva on Thursday and Friday dumped copious amounts of moisture on the Gardens of the Ozarks, where the ceremony was scheduled to be held. It also dropped the temperature from a balmy 70 degrees to an afternoon high of 47.

However, no change of venue was forthcoming, so we all gathered under the large tents with our jackets and blankets and watched in wide-eyed wonder as man and woman became husband and wife.

I’ll be honest with you. I would rather not endure the drizzle nor shiver through another session of “let’s make a marriage.” But this was (is) a matter of family solidarity. The two clans came together to honor their finest efforts at child-rearing, and for the first time in several years the extended Tyree clan was all in one place at one time. I was able to embrace my mom and dad, both sisters, a wonderful brother-in-law and two fabulous nieces all in the confines of half an hour.

I suppose we could find an important lesson here, if we only take a moment to think. Perhaps it’s a lesson about family – take every opportunity to share time together – even if you have to sit on the end of the row, under the dripping tent flap.

Or perhaps we might find a sermonette about the importance of marriage in our increasingly marriage-less society. I’m proud of this young couple for choosing the Godly path.

The one that comes to mind, however, is a lesson about priorities. I don’t know how many times people have given me lame excuses, wrapped in important sounding tinsel, to explain why they can’t possibly make it to worship. Bottom line? We will make time and expend great energy to do things we think are important, even if it takes lots of driving, a hotel stay, and getting drizzled on in the great outdoors. If you really wanted to be in worship, you would be. See you Sunday?