The Glorious Return! (or, "Cliff Remembers He Has a Blog")

Yes, dear readers, it's been a while.

Have you been well? Doing OK? Moving that bus?

Good.

We're starting a new policy direction here this week, one that I think will bolster posts here and allow those of you who don't get the Opelika Observer (or don't want to get the Double O ... I don't blame you), you can still get to read my God-awful weekly column (the oh-so-hilariously named McCollumn)

So, for your viewing pleasure (or disgust), last week's column:

To Tess, With Love

If you like seeing this column every week, there’s one person that needs thanking for making it happen.

(Actually, if you hate this column, and I know some of you do, you can feel free to blame this person, too.)

While the decision to give a known crazy person a weekly column in a fledgling newspaper was made by then editor Jayson Hill, good man that he is, my initial presence at this paper was brought about by one woman: Tess Hollis.

Hollis served as this paper’s first associate editor, having honed her journalism skills at The Auburn Plainsman with me and later at the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer.

She’s a spitfire and will always be a dear friend, making her wedding this past weekend a truly “delightful, delicious, and de-lovely” occasion.

The bride was, of course, gorgeous. I expected nothing less than perfection from her, though.

The ceremony was simple and short, a rarity these days, I assure you.

In my role as “Guest Book Attendant,” it was my job to hunt down wedding guests and force them to sign the book, at knife-point if necessary.

(Actually, come to think, they may have said “Politely banter with the guests and ask them to sign the book.” I just like to add a bit of panache, is all. )

I got to see old friends, relive old times, gossip about old dirt and even went out and danced a dance or two. Yes, dear readers, some of us Southern Baptists do, in fact, dance.

A great many things happened over the course of the Hollis/Oravsky Wedding Weekend, all of them wonderful.

But, more than the individual moments and memories, I’m left with a heavy overdose of sentimentality.

Weddings should be and are about love. This is an undisputed fact.

Two people are joining their lives together because of the deep, undying love they feel for one another.

That’s part of the wedding love.

The other part, my favorite part and I argue the best part, is the love being shown and given to the blessed couple by their friends and family in attendance.

The love Tess and Shane share for one another is solid and beautiful.

The love that surrounds this couple, though, is nothing short of astounding.

There was love in the toasts at the rehearsal dinner when maid of honor Elise Diffie quoted Homer eloquently and Tess’ Uncle Clifford made jokes about Shane’s side being damn Yankees.

There was love shown by those damn Yankees even being here, some of them coming in from hundreds of miles away just to show their support and care for Shane and his new bride.

There was love in the eyes of Paul and Tammy Hollis as they watched their daughter dance her first dance as Captain Oravsky’s wife, to the oh-so perfect choice of Etta James’ “At Last.”

There was even love when Miranda Mattheis, appointed by my fellow Plainsmanites and myself, went up to the DJ, requesting the “Tootsie Roll” in honor of years’ worth of Wednesday night sessions at the Q with good old DJ Ozz.

Tess’ wedding was a great wedding not because of anything she planned or set up, while those things were nice.

Tess’ wedding was a success because it showed love.

Tess and Shane, I wish you nothing but the happiest and best as you begin this new part of your journey through life together.

We should all be so lucky as to find what you have found in one another.