By Les Ferguson, Jr.

Columnist

I was the officiant at a wedding this past Saturday. Like most wedding ceremonies, it was sweet, and love was very much in the air. 

It wasn’t a long ceremony or overly complicated. It was, however, very honoring of both families and a joyous occasion to behold and participate in. 

And my wife? She took on an unfamiliar role and directed the wedding. As it turns out, she did a great job, but I’m pretty sure she’s not looking for a career change. 

Since I have a history with she-who-must-be-obeyed, it was natural to take direction from her. Smile, ladies; laugh, guys. You all know what I’m talking about!

But back to the wedding. As I said, it was a sweet ceremony and beautiful in its simplicity. At the wedding rehearsal, it was apparent that the bride would compete with the flower girl. She was entertaining in all the best ways.  

Had my wife not been there, she’d have had questions about the wedding: Who was there? What did the bride’s wedding dress look like? What did the mother-of-the-bride wear? What were the colors of the bridesmaid dresses? Did the guys wear tuxedos? 

Thankfully, this is not a column for the society page, and I didn’t pay enough attention to answer those questions anyway, at least in a fashion to satisfy the female curiosity about such things.

All the above is fun and possibly even exciting, but it’s not the point of this column. So let me share this with you: At the rehearsal dinner, there were cards at each place setting to write marriage advice for the almost-wed couple. 

Because siblings were involved, I’m sure some of that advice was quite funny, if not appropriate for public consumption. 

However, here are the three bits of advice I gave: Forgive quickly. Don’t hold grudges. Don’t go to bed angry.

That’s good counsel for anyone, anywhere, and anytime. If you have doubts, I’ll guarantee: In an oft-chaotic world, if you practice those three simple pieces of advice, you may not win every argument, but you’ll sleep better with less anxiety and stress. 

Plus, your people will be much more appreciative.

That’s a great return on your relationship investments, in my opinion. 

Hannah and Andrew, may your married life be a blessing to all!

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” (Luke 6:36 CSB)