Alex Varga got married!  Tom and I got home from Cumberland Gap on September 19.  We had to come back that week because we had a very special event coming up:  the wedding of Alex Varga and Jen Gartner.

Alex Varga is a very special man to Tom and I.  He and John grew up together at Wedgewood United Methodist Church.  They were good friends through high school and spent a lot of time together.  Although they went their own ways once they hit college, Tom and I have continued to see Alex regularly.  When we get together with Pam and Steve Varga, Alex usually comes along.  And Alex makes a special effort to attend at Wedgewood whenever I am preaching there.

Alex is an electrical engineer who works for an architectural firm.  He has been looking for the love of his life for a long time.  His mom and his grandpa, especially, were always watching out for any single ladies.  Jim Oliver, Alex’s grandpa, would ask all the women he met who were Alex’s age, if they were married.  If they said no, Jim would tell them about his terrific single grandson.  One of Jim’s hospice nurses said she was single.  When Jim asked if she was interested in meeting Jim’s grandson, she was open to the idea.  Jen and Alex met and soon fell in love.

Jen is a compassionate and loving person, just like Alex.  They are both strong Christians.  Jen is more outgoing and spontaneous than Alex and so they compliment each other.  He helps give her some stability and she helps him loosen up.  I liked Jen even before I met her because Alex would smile just talking about her.  Jen was divorced and has three kids who are all teenagers, two boys and a girl.  They all seemed pretty supportive of the marriage, although I’m sure there will be some rocky days ahead.

The wedding itself was beautiful.  Jen’s pastor performed the ceremony but they held it at the Wedgewood church.  I read a scripture passage and another pastor read an additional passage.  Three pastors in one ceremony!  The church was packed with friends and family and Jen sang a song to Alex that was wonderful.  There was laughter and tears, the best kind of ceremony to have.

The reception was held at the Venue Banquet Center in Tallmadge, the same place that Nick and Amanda Varga had their reception.  Alex and Jen kept things moving right along.  The music wasn’t too loud during the meal so we could talk to our tablemates.  Tom and I sat at a table with the Pratt/Tisch/Kelly family and Kris Moye.  Kelly Pratt just got engaged, so she and her fiancé were doing some reconnaissance at the reception.

Once the dancing started, the music got louder so Tom and I said our farewells.  It was wonderful to see Alex and Jen so happy together.  They just got back from a honeymoon in Hawaii and looked like they had a great time.  It was also fun to see a bunch of folks from Wedgewood that we haven’t seen for a while.

Tom and I wish Alex and Jen all the best in their years together.  At the ceremony, they had me read a Bible verse from Ecclesiastes 4:

Two are better than one,
    because they have a good return for their labor:
¹⁰ If either of them falls down,
    one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
    and has no one to help them up.
¹¹ Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
    But how can one keep warm alone?
¹² Though one may be overpowered,
    two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

May Alex and Jen always be an unbreakable cord of three strands.