Published: April 16, 2008 12:59 pm            

Great small town helps make wedding a reality

NEWTON — I have written many articles since I have been news editor at The Newton Record with the slogan “Our Great Small Town”. I came to realize after being in this town nearly two years it is a great small town, but not until Friday did I realize what an impact that slogan would have on my life.

Friday, April 11 was the day of my wedding, for two weeks my husband Don Owens and I kept a check on the weather hoping it would be a beautiful day and not rain because the wedding was to be an outdoor wedding.

The ceremony was to take place at the gazebo behind the Newton Depot.

On Monday, the weather forecast predicted thunderstorms and possible tornadoes. So being the pessimist that I sometimes will be, I began to panic. What were we going to do if it rained? A friend of ours tried to calm my nerves by telling me if it rained on my wedding day that meant good luck, but even that didn’t calm me too much.

All day Thursday I kept in constant contact with Gary Galloway who kept me informed of what the radar was showing. “It doesn’t look good he said so you better plan to have the wedding indoors.” So now, I really did panic. I didn’t plan for an indoor wedding. The gazebo and grounds are so beautiful I didn’t need any decorations out there. But indoors at the depot I would need something to give it a festive look and with my decorating skills I couldn’t see that happening overnight.

Then the miracles started happening, on Thursday I attended a Chamber of Commerce meeting where a few of the ladies knew the dilemna I was in. Before the day was over I had women and men all over town offering to make this a special day for us. I am hesitant to mention names because I would be so sorry if I left somone out, but I can’t go without mentioning the name of one lady, Ann Blackburn who took time out of her busy life to stop and gather things from her home to decorate for our wedding. It just so happened what she had was the very colors I had planned on. With her decorating skills I knew it would be beautiful. She and Brenda Crosby spent quite a few hours on Thursday night to make this a special day for us. Between the ladies at the office, Lisa, Tracy, and Mrs. Betty, Kim Henley, friends and family, not to mention the special honor of having the talents of Kathy Stephens and Barry Roebuck, nothing could have been more welcomed and appreciated.

I now have the personal experience of knowing what this “Great Small Town” slogan really means. It is not the buildings or the many places we have to shop, it is the people. These were people Don and I have only known nearly two years, why would they do this for us? The only explanation I have is, this is what makes Newton so special. There are so many talented, caring, special people that are so willing to give of themselves without any rewards. Don and I have tried to come up with a way we can express our appreciation to all that helped make our day a day to remember the rest of our lives. No words are sufficient, you know who you are and you are very special to us.

The Lord says when one door closes another one opens, it ended up not raining as I had prayed, but if we had known that earlier we wouldn’t have ever experienced the generosity and kindness of the special people in this “Great Small Town” who helped, to the ones that attended the wedding and to my daughter Christen, who has the voice of an angel, singing at her mom’s wedding, which made the day even more special.

May God pour out his abundant blessings on each and everyone of you, because of you, our wedding day will always be unforgettable.



Cheryl Owens is news editor of The Newton Record

        

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