🎋The Joys of Sunday🎋… by JoAnn

Growing up, my parents taught me that Sunday should be a day full of rest. Back then, all businesses were closed on Sundays. ALL businesses. If you had any errands to run, you best get them taken care of by Saturday night. That even included grocery shopping. Banks went a step further and were only open Monday through Friday. It’s hard to imagine that virtually ALL jobs were off on Sunday. It still sounds strange to me when someone tells me they will be working Sunday. I can’t imagine it. It seems to be the norm for the new generation.

Of course, Sunday for Christians was the “Lord’s Day.” Church services are in the morning, and the rest of the day is spent with family. I always wondered why so much cooking would happen on Sunday. Cooking a big meal was, and still is, work. Not to mention washing dishes by hand and cleaning up the kitchen. Personally, if I cooked on Sunday when my kids were growing up, I would wait till Monday to wash the dishes. No shame. Mama also deserves to rest with everyone else.

I had a best friend when I was a young teen named Gloria. She and I went to school together, and they lived on the corner of our street. Her mother worked Monday through Saturday at the corner store on the opposite end of our street. Gloria’s mom firmly believed that Sunday was a complete rest day for Christians. There were no big meals cooked, no dishes needing to be washed, and no laundry to do. She believed it should be spent with family, enjoying outings, fresh air, and traveling. No television was watched, & no one slept all day. But it was time to visit family who lived out in the country, spend the day at the beach, or go to the movies. I loved hanging out with Gloria and her family. It was a real treat to be invited to join them on a Sunday.

Between my mom and Gloria’s mom, I was taught that Sunday was a day to be grateful and enjoy the God-given rest day. To this day, Sunday is the day I rest completely. I do not allow any worries to take over my day. It can all wait till Monday. Like someone once told me, the dirty dishes aren’t going to get mad and walk out the door. They will still be there tomorrow.

This may seem silly to some, but to me, it gives me a physical break on Sunday and an even more important mental break. It’s something to look forward to. And as a Christian, I am respectfully observing the Lord’s day, which matters to me personally.

So, the dishes in my sink will wait till tomorrow morning as I begin a new week. Phone calls will be made, bills will be paid, and errands will be run. But right now, I will rest and enjoy the day as much as possible, in peace.