In which I did not wear a tie

So, over at Times and Seasons, there's been a conversation about men and ties at church. Jonathan Green provided a terrific summary of a discussion he had with his 12-year old son about wearing ties to church. (I thought it was terrific; not every commenter agreed, but what else is new?)

As for me, I wear ties to church. I do not wear one to work every day because my employer does not require it of me, but I do sometimes wear ties for work. Before I lost weight last year, wearing ties had become uncomfortable, despite my buying the "big & tall" shirts (I am not tall, but I was big). Now that I've lost the weight, ties are no longer uncomfortable, but I still don't wear them all the time.

But I do always wear a tie to church. Well, almost always. Yesterday I didn't.

We are on vacation and we visited my daughter's ward in Pennsylvania. Last time I visited, I wore a bow tie. (I asked my daughter if she thought that would be ok; I had brought a necktie as well, but thought it would be fun to wear a bow tie, since I wear one about 1/3 of the time in my home ward, following the example of a former counselor in our stake presidency and a few other men in the stake. She wondered why I thought anyone would care.) But this time, as I was dressing on Sunday morning, I realized I had forgotten to pack a tie.

My daughter assured me it was no big deal; many of the men in her ward came to church without ties. Yeah, true enough, I thought. But I don't go to church without a tie. I couldn't remember the last time I hadn't worn a tie to church.

Of course no one said a word about my tie-less-ness. And of course, I had to make a joke about it to the bishop. He laughed and told me a similar experience he'd had the week before while visiting his brother's ward in another state. (He had not forgotten his tie, but chosen to leave his suit at home and wear only slacks and a dress shirt and tie.)

It is odd to me how I find comfort at church. I do find comfort in conformity, in routine. I was happy to be made to feel welcome this week in my daugher's ward, and I was not at all surprised. But I'll be glad to have my tie next time I go to church. :-)