kissed a boo boo, ate a couple gumdrops, thought some more about the grouchy thing and it really hit me...as I was changing the laundry.
I used to have a little rule for myself...I didn't do laundry on Sunday. It wasn't a legalistic, keeping the Sabbath kind of thing....just a way that Sunday was special. I didn't work on eBay. I didn't help Mattie with school stuff. I always made a big Sunday dinner. I didn't feel guilty about sitting around all afternoon.
We went to Saturday night service last night because we kind of prefer it, but I was getting some coffee and a guy came up while I was getting mine and made a joke about needing the regular, not the decaf....and he looked like Doug...I just smiled blankly...
I miss my old life. I miss having a great purposeful activity that our whole week was oriented to. I miss meeting my groggy friends in the kitchen at church, stealing coffee that hadn't even made it into the pot yet. I miss making an effort to NOT be grouchy for all those who would be. I miss not doing laundry on Sunday. I miss sitting around on Sunday afternoon after having a really good meal, talking with Joel and Shari, wearing my apron. I miss the kids being clean on Saturday night. I miss the order and rhythm it all created. I hate it that Robb has to work on Sundays. Yeah, yeah, he worked on Sundays before....but you know what I mean.
I woke up grouchy this morning because I wanted this day to be special in some way, but at 6:30, the cartoons were on, the laundry was piled sky high, and I didn't really appreciate the fact that "we didn't have do anything today." I can't come up with a good reason to put off the things I don't normally do on Sundays. But I hate doing them.
8 comments:
We were having a discussion recently about Sundays and what we remember about being kids....anyways, I was thinking about it again today as I was doing the laundry as well....remember how Mom wouldn't sew and that was like the only time she would be in bed when we weren't? This week was such a blur and I had a hard time feeling ready to go to church this morning...which always means that that's when I should really be there and that was exactly how it was today but I still managed to turn today into a work day and miss the rest and reflection part of it. (was that the world's longest run-on sentence?)
Anyways, I'm really looking forward to coming down and drinking a few gallons of coffee with you while we finally catch up...this will be the first time I've been to your home since Staton Is.--wow. that's like 7 years!
i have to say i'm a little jealous, sisters...
sundays: a big honkin' pile of lunchmeat and cheeses wrapped in white paper from the deli spread out on the kitchen table for lunch and an even larger stack of toast with hot chocolate for dinner...watching black and white movies with mom on pbs and taking walks in the woods with dad....
moral: family and friends are what make your sundays....make a new tradition of having the kids help with laundry : )
p.s. i was supposed to laundry today....man! i knew i forgot something...stinkin' snowmen!
Ash, you forgot dancin' to the oldies in the kitchen with Dad while eating that enormouse stack of butter toast with hot choc.!
I think you're totally right that Sunday is about family and friends. And we are allowed to start new traditions...much like Sundays now mean having friends for lunch after church (as means of co-ercing them TO church) and reading the paper with Ron before Dora throws it away.
I try to make Sunday the day we slow down collectively and enjoy the simple pleasures of being together--not another run run hurry up (worship worship worship!!) kind of day. I also want Dora to have good memories like we do. When God said to set aside the Sabbath, I think that was open enough for individual expression. Since time with my family is special to me, it makes my day of rest special.
We've got some Sunday evening traditions I like a lot. We watch America's Funniest Home Videos, which Vin calls "America's Funny Best Videos." And then we watch Extreme Makeover, with the kids saying "I want that house," and me crying like a baby. All this unless the Browns are getting trounced by the Steelers, and that makes me cry like a baby too.
uvkau - antiquing term for the dust and grime that develops on dishes that have been unused for several years
GO STEELERS!!!!!!! pillage and plunder....if only against the Browns.
uh oh, looks like I scared Robb away....hey, Ness, I need directions, okay?
I often wonder if i'll ever have my own special sunday things...someday, someday, i'm sure i will..until then I'll just dream about sunday the night before.
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