My favorite day of the week is Sunday. The Sabbath. The day of rest.
Now certainly there are some Sundays that are a little stressful (like maybe the ones where I teach YW or if there are a bunch of meetings to attend), but overall I love Sundays.
First of all, I love Sunday music. In Sacrament meeting I love singing the hymns. I usually try to sing a different part each verse. I know the soprano and alto parts well and usually do fine at those, but for fun I also try to the tenor and bass parts (sung up an octave). Bass I can hear fairly well (probably because I'm usually an alto, so I can hear those low parts), but the tenor takes a bit of concentration. Shhh, don't tell the ladies, but sometimes the tenor and bass parts are the best parts of the song! For example, the bass part on "True to the Faith" is a blast to sing, especially on the chorus!
Beyond the sacrament meeting hymns I also love to listen to spiritual, uplifting songs. On the local radio stations (FM 100 or KOSY 106.5) they play these types songs all day. When we get home from church the radio goes on, and stays on for the rest of the day. Music is such a peaceful, soothing part of the day.
I also love that Sunday is a day of rest from all the "need to do" stuff. On Sunday I can sit on the couch all day and not feel guilty at all that I'm not _______ (fill in the blank: doing laundry, cleaning house, running errands, etc.) I can truly rest not only my physical body from doing those things, but my mind as well from the pressure to do those things.
Sunday food prep is so easy as well. Every Sunday we have the same thing: roast, rice and corn. I put the roast in a foil lined pan, dump a can of cream of chicken soup and a can of cream of msuhroom soup on it, and sprinkle dried onion soup mix over the top. I then seal the foil up and pop the roast in the oven on 275 degrees until church is over (or later depending on how long it takes for Craig to get home from his meetings). It's easy and quick to make the corn and rice right before we sit down to eat. Making the same meal every Sunday means my mind is not stressed with what to make and with the concerns of which kid will grumble about how yucky dinner is. Everyone enjoys this meal and expects that is what will be on the table each Sunday.
Maybe after dinner (ok, usually after dinner) someone will make cookies. Very often it's Shanna's Chocolate Chips, which are super delicious cookies. First you cream together 1 cup shortening, 1/2 cup white sugar, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla, and 2 eggs. After those ingredients are well creamed you add 2 2/5 cups flour (I know, weird measurement...just do 2 1/2 cups and take a teeny bit out), 1 tsp. baking soda, and chocolate chips. Then you put it on your cookie sheet and bake at 370 degrees (again, a weird measurement) for 10 minutes. When the cookies come out of the oven you have to do one important step...Slam the cookie sheet down on the counter. Technically that step is not in Shanna's recipe, but that's Libby's hint for perfect cookies. I don't know why, but I promise it makes the cookies taste better somehow.
The rest of the day is usually spent in activities such as talking to family on the phone (Hi Mel! Hi Mom and Dad!), playing games together, reading scriptures, working on Personal Progress or Duty to God or Faith in God, reading the newspaper, or taking a much needed nap. Or, as I am now doing, writing on your blog about the joys of the Sabbath!
In the June 1993 New Era magazine, Robert L. Backman says this of the Sabbath: "With [the Sabbath, the Lord] gave us the means by which we can become well-rounded mentally, physically, socially, and spiritually. The purpose of the Sabbath is to nourish the spirit. Truly we are rested, refreshed, and renewed as we pause and concentrate on spiritual things. We are better prepared to meet the world and the challenges of our daily lives if we turn away from our own pleasures and delight in the Lord."
I have to agree...the Sabbath is truly a day which helps me to feel "rested, refreshed, and renewed." What a much needed thing in this crazy world!
No comments:
Post a Comment