Sundays

A few weeks ago, I wrote about Fridays.  Recently, Sundays have been on my mind.

First, there are the childhood memories.  A usual breakfast of Krispy Kreme doughnuts.  (If you woke early, you got to ride to Crichton with Dad to pick them out!)  Always, Sunday school and church.  Lunch at the Mobile Infirmary.  Visits to Great-grandmother Carrie and grandparents Mammaw and DanDan...both of which were short strolls from our house.  Food, God, and family...what else is there??

I recently finished Katrina Kenison's Mitten Strings for God: Reflections for Mothers.  (You may remember my thoughts on her book, The Gift of an Ordinary Day) In it, she writes of life with her two young sons and her husband.  She devotes a chapter to the Sabbath.  She tells of the typical Sunday in her house...a race to get a jump start on the week...groceries, errands, work around the house, etc.  She writes:

Sunday was a day on which to dash from here to there, trying to get some sort of a jump on the week ahead.  My head told me this made a lot of sense - be productive all weekend, have an easier week as a result.  But it never seemed to work that way.  There's always more stuff to do than time to do it in, no matter how I spend my Sunday.  What's more, my soul was begging for a break.

She then tells of how her family took back the Sabbath as the "one day in which we are simply not busy."  For them, it meant no running errands and time together as a family.

For some reason, this chapter really spoke to me.  Just as it was growing up, Sunday means Sunday school and church for my family.  Just about every Sunday, we are in the atrium and in the pew.  I intend for it to be that way until I'm worshipping Jesus face to face.

But let's be honest, getting three high-spirited boys dressed in Sunday finery and off for three hours of sitting still and displaying major self-control can be stressful.  I, unfortunately, have left church in tears on numerous occasions in the past year.  It ain't easy teaching young people how to worship!  So Kennison's advice of being "not busy" for the rest of the day was music to my ears.

I used to rush home to fix lunch and then run to the grocery store for the week's supplies.  Now, grocery shopping is done on Saturdays.  Frequently, Daniel and I snuggle and nap together in the afternoons.  Chris and Philip enjoy trips to Dee's to visit and help out with whatever she needs.  Some days bring a bike ride for the boys to the park or GranGran and PopPop's house.

This Sunday it brought a well needed project...cleaning out the sandbox. 

The boys were thrilled to have all new sand.  Chris and I were thrilled to spend the afternoon outdoors with them!  I thought of these pictures later last night when I was reading yet another wonderful book, The Last Child in the Woods, by John Louv.  In it, he coins the term "nature deficiancy syndrome"...I know yet another diagnosis...but anyways it is a great read about a generation of children growing up without spending time in nature. 

My reading last night was on the redemptive, healing power of time outdoors.    He quotes the book English Gardener, published in 1699, in which it gives the following advice: "spare time in the garden, either digging, setting out, or weeding; there is no better way to preserve your health."

I digress...back to Sundays.  Chris and I are also attempting to bring back the extended family focus to our Sundays.  In the past month, we've had all the grandparents,  several aunts and uncles, and cousins for Sunday dinner. 

Last night we had dinner with Aunt Heather and Uncle Cameron at Dee's house.  We had a fabulous meal and an even better time visiting with the three of them.  Wish I had brought my camera!

So, I too am attempting to "take back the Sabbath" here.  I want my boys to remember Sundays the same way I did...God, food, and family!  (And maybe, we can talk Chris into a Krispy Kreme breakfast a time or two!)