Sunday Lovely Sunday

I am so grateful for the Sabbath. The more time passes, the more I realise how wise it is to have one day in every seven to just rest and reflect.

My life is a bit manic at the moment. Each morning I am up at 6.30 (at least Seminary has finished for the summer) to get the children up and ready for school. I start work at 9 and finish at 2, then head straight for the gym where I either swim half a mile or run a mile on the treadmill. I'm back at the school gates for 3.15 (with wet hair), then Monday is shopping and preparing a nice dinner for the in-laws, Tuesday is Gwen's riding lesson followed by youth at church, Wednesday is gymnastics for Ceri and then Slimming World for me, Thursday is ballet for Hari followed by cooking for the missionaries, and Friday is a church social this week, Temple night next week, and probably date night the week after.

Saturday I do all my housework because I've had no time during the week and by this stage we're usually knee-deep in laundry, dust and clutter. This Saturday I'm visiting my parents in their 500-year-old house in Ipswich, and next Saturday I'm at my writing club so goodness knows when I'll do the housework over the next two weeks.

But Sunday ... Sunday is lovely. Three hours of church means three hours of peace, reverence, learning, introspection and thoughtfulness. It restores my soul and reminds me what this crazy life is all about and what really matters. We're not the most fantastic sabbath-keeping family, and if I'm out of bread for the children's school lunches I will nip out to the shop to buy a loaf, but generally we don't go to parties or events on this day. In fact, Hari was supposed to have an extra ballet lesson last Sunday to prepare her for her upcoming exam, and I told the ballet school that she wouldn't do it on a Sunday, even if it meant failing the exam. (They added her to the Friday class instead, and I got to chat with my best friend at the ballet school as we waited for our daughters outside their Friday dance lessons, so that was a wonderful blessing for keeping the Sabbath holy.)

In theory Sunday afternoon is when I write to missionaries, or do my visiting teaching. In practice, I usually sleep.

One Sunday evening a month we join friends from another local church at Costa Coffee in Rayleigh for an informal church event including (usually) inspirational teaching and (often) free cake. And another Sunday evening the same church holds a book club which I really enjoy.

So one way or another, Sunday makes up for the rest of the week, and I wonder how people who treat it as just another normal busy day manage not to go mad.