Day of Rest

Sunday normally functions as the second half of each week's catch-up period. The weekend is the only time I usually have to run errands, make a menu, do shopping, pay bills, clean the house, and do other assorted chores. By Sunday night I'm tired, but satisfied that I've gotten things mostly under control and the week can begin in a state of general order before the whirlwind of another week sets things in chaotic swirl again.

This weekend, I wanted to make Sunday truly a rest day, rather than just another catch-up day. In anticipation, I packed yesterday pretty full with chores. In the morning I went to the bank with Mom to check on some financial paperwork I need for our house purchase. Then I went to the mall for a replacement sugar jar. I broke mine on Friday. I went to ALDI and Giant and stocked up on all the food we'll need this week. I wrote a blog post at dinnerinparkerford, then in the evening we went to dinner at Applebee's with my family where we enjoyed the 2 minutes of elevated heartrate that are the Kentucky Derby. Later, at home, I cleaned the bathroom - most importantly, the shower curtain liner, a dreaded task that was actually not so bad, and felt so unbelievably satisfying. I fell asleep very content with the checkmarks on my To Do list.


Today, we had a few responsibilities before the rest could begin. We got up early to help set up the sound system at church. The first service went well, and then Jim, another member of the sound crew, agreed to watch the sound board during the second service and clean up afterward, so we were free to head home by about 10:30. We shared leftovers for lunch, then Husband napped while I read a book I'm loaning from Mom and painted my toenails. It's been a long time since I rested like that on a Sunday. Somehow, I didn't even feel that anxious, 'I'm-wasting-time' feeling that normally plagues me when I try to rest. Perhaps God made our bodies - or mine, anyway - to appreciate rest on Sunday, even when I normally find it so impossible.


Later, I helped husband work on some grading and lesson planning (yes, a little bit of work was necessary), then we took a short walk, on which I found two four-leaf clovers.

For dinner I made Crunchy Chicken Casserole. There's something about making dinner after a day mostly spent resting that's different from making dinner after a long, exhausting day of work. I love cooking any time, but it really felt refreshing to put a casserole together tonight. It seemed easier, yet more significant.


I'm still figuring out what rest means. I'm awful at relaxing. But today was good practice and it felt wonderful. I look forward to taking resting seriously.