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Recently, I enjoyed an outdoor exposure that evoked warm, sentimental emotions which also brought about uplifting sentiments as I surveyed a wedding scene and the accompanying countryside. 

It was the opposite of what takes place for royal weddings at Westminster Abbey.  There was no royalty at the ceremony which joined together Sarah Garner and James Henson.  It took place in a freshly mowed field adjacent to Thomas Cotton Gin, south of Watkinsville on Georgia Highway 15. 

The location is familiar for those in the area who have found their way here over the years to appreciate barbecue from “Hot Thomas.”  Barbecue aficionados would come from long distances to enjoy a meal at this popular roadside spot.

To familiarize you with the setting, it is important to note that the backdrop for the wedding vows was a field of sunflowers.  How nice.  There is nothing more upstanding than acreage of sunflowers which reflect the glory that Mother Nature brings to us.

The minister did not wear a tie. (In fact, I happened to be the only one present who donned a tie.)

The ring bearers were accompanied by a golden retriever, and the groom wore a cowboy hat. When there was a prayer, he respectfully removed his hat.

At interludes throughout the ceremony, country music emanated from music boxes which were in keeping with the surroundings.  It was a comfortable emotional fit for the day and for the event.

As a friend of the bride’s family, I was overwhelmed by the simplicity of the moment.  Sarah interned in my office while she was in pursuit of a degree at the University of Georgia.  She was very comfortable with the downhome atmosphere that the Thomas Cotton Gin brought about.

The audience was downhome too—people in blue jeans and other forms of informal attire.  At the reception following the marriage ceremony, there was a lot of conversation about football.

Naturally, everybody’s favorite team at this location and this time of the year is the Georgia Bulldogs.  Many of those in attendance were holders of degrees from the nation’s oldest state-chartered university.

Others were those “who grew up around here, and I love the “Dawgs,” underscoring in conversation how anxious they were for the forthcoming season to get underway.

Even with all the turmoil involving college football today, the salt-of-the-earth types who showed up for the wedding of Sarah and James, still take pride in the success of the UGA football program.

Returning home, I had time to reflect on the experience.  There was deep and abiding appreciation for the couple who had just tied the knot.  They are what we believe America is all about.  They will be law abiding citizens.  They will contribute to their community.  They will honor flag and country.  And they will follow the Dawgs, too.

There was a hint of regret that came with the reflections.  The rural scene is fleeting which is unfortunate.  We need kids to grow up to be doctors and lawyers, international business people and researchers.

We also need kids to grow up to take pride in being part of the middle class, those who don’t expect handouts and who will “work like the devil for their pay.”

Those who not only inherently appreciate the rural, downhome lifestyle, doing good unto others, and forever taking pride in being good neighbors.

They will appreciate sunflowers, barbecue, golden retrievers, country music and family values.  While nothing is guaranteed in life, kids who experience the downhome lifestyle have a much better opportunity to become good citizens than those who grow up amongst the concrete pathways of our cities.

Couples, like Sarah and James, who marry at venues such as the Thomas gin, have an opportunity to enjoy a bountiful life.  Thumbs up.