GENTRY — If a picture is worth a thousand words, a 3 1/2 minute slide show with 29 endearing photos fading in and out in harmony with a tender, heartstringsstrumming song ought to be worth several times that many. Add to that, a father dancing with his just-wed daughter and the moment should speak picture-perfect volumes.

That was what I was hoping for as I worked on this project recently. The task, which I expected to take a couple of hours, naturally ended up consuming a couple of days; but finally, after false starts, reworks and plenty of tweaking, I think I have something that just might melt every heart at the wedding reception. Creating the slide show gave me a sneak peek into one part of the event and wasone enjoyable way I could lend a hand with the many jobs required in the preparation for this big day.

The upcoming “big day” is the wedding of my niece Necole, who, by all Facebook accounts, is excitedly counting down the days. Alex, the groom, is the rare young person who doesn’t have a Facebook account. There are other ways these two exemplify the “opposites attract” adage, which also includes his interest in farming and hers in fashion; but they clearly love each other.

With 48 hours to go before the ceremony starts, you can bet there are still plenty of I’s to dot and T’s to cross. Although months havealready gone into preparing, many things cannot be done until the last minute. I know this from experience, and that is why I wanted to lend a hand to get ready for this wedding. Since my own three children have married already, I have a good idea of the behind-the-scenes effort that goes into making the ceremony look beautiful and seamless. Until you’ve been there and done that, it could be easy to think it “just happens.” Most people probably don’t imagine the endless details until they have been through it themselves.

That was me as a young bride many years ago. It was during preparations for my youngest daughter’swedding that it occurred to me that I had probably never thanked my mother adequately for all she did to prepare for my own wedding. I gave her a call and told her my thoughts, and she laughed off my 30-year-late thank you. A couple of weeks later, my oldest daughter, who had helped greatly in getting things ready for her younger sister’s wedding, presented me with a gift and card. The enclosed note was a list of all the things she liked about her wedding a dozen years earlier and a “thank you” for what I had done to make it happen. It seems that extending ourselves to do things for others often results in becoming moregrateful for what has been done for us.

All the effort put into the wedding day, however, pales in comparison to the hope for a blessed life ahead for the happy couple. The ultimate goal is that the day sets forth a union that outlasts the trials of life and includes days filled with precious memories and beautiful sunsets.

And, If I see a tear or two brushed away during the slide show, that will be good, too.

Annette Rowe is a freelance writer from rural Gentry and a speech-language pathologist at Siloam Springs High School. She may be reached by email at awalkinthepark50@yahoo.com.

Opinion, Pages 5 on 07/18/2012