“This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy sabbath to the Lord; bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil, and all that is left over put aside to be kept until morning.’” Exodus 16:23
I had some vacation days I needed to take before the end of the year. November is a good time because in the church (where I work) there is a small pregnant pause just before the Advent and Christmas busyness that will happen in just a few weeks. It's a chance to have six consecutive days of little agenda, catching up on projects around the house that have been sitting on the back burner a little too long, and relaxing--just the break my poor, weary brain needs.
Kevin and I chose to take Sunday as a sabbath day. This would be our "practice" run for when we begin taking a sabbath day on a weekly basis. So, as sundown approached on Saturday night, we agreed that our sabbath would begin with our evening meal. It had been cooking on the stove most of the afternoon. It was a glorious feast of beef, carrots, mushrooms, onions, and tomatoes...all reduced in a red wine sauce. When the garlic muffins came out of the oven, we commenced.
Now, Kevin is the one in our household who takes care of the dishes. He knows it's not my favorite thing to do in the world. So--as he is THE nicest man in the world--he kindly makes sure the dishwasher is loaded and unloaded every day. But, on this night, I reminded him, "Don't do the dishes. Leave them until tomorrow night."
This was a difficult thing for him, especially given that I think I used every pot and dish in the kitchen to cook this sumptuous dinner, and there they were....waiting patiently in piles on the counter top and in the sink. Staring us down like it was a showdown at the OK Corral.
Kevin and I both have a certain amount of guilt when we don't feel like we've done our duty for the day. Taking a whole 24 hours to do absolutely nothing was not as easy as it sounds. There is a laundry list of household chores, but we can't do any of them. And, there is that HUGE mountain of dishes growing in the kitchen! It's like telling a person with OCD not to straighten the crooked picture on the wall! Aaaaaaaahhhhhhh!
In the end, though, we made it. We embraced it. We went for a walk. We watched TV. We played on our computers (I played a game and did NOT check Facebook or email). We snacked. We talked. We accomplished nothing, and it was wonderful!
When sundown rolled back around. I put the pot of leftovers on the stove to warm up. Kevin went straight for the pile of dishes. Something inside me was a little sad it was over, simultaneouly looking forward to the next time we can leave the dishes until the next day.
I had some vacation days I needed to take before the end of the year. November is a good time because in the church (where I work) there is a small pregnant pause just before the Advent and Christmas busyness that will happen in just a few weeks. It's a chance to have six consecutive days of little agenda, catching up on projects around the house that have been sitting on the back burner a little too long, and relaxing--just the break my poor, weary brain needs.
Kevin and I chose to take Sunday as a sabbath day. This would be our "practice" run for when we begin taking a sabbath day on a weekly basis. So, as sundown approached on Saturday night, we agreed that our sabbath would begin with our evening meal. It had been cooking on the stove most of the afternoon. It was a glorious feast of beef, carrots, mushrooms, onions, and tomatoes...all reduced in a red wine sauce. When the garlic muffins came out of the oven, we commenced.
Now, Kevin is the one in our household who takes care of the dishes. He knows it's not my favorite thing to do in the world. So--as he is THE nicest man in the world--he kindly makes sure the dishwasher is loaded and unloaded every day. But, on this night, I reminded him, "Don't do the dishes. Leave them until tomorrow night."
This was a difficult thing for him, especially given that I think I used every pot and dish in the kitchen to cook this sumptuous dinner, and there they were....waiting patiently in piles on the counter top and in the sink. Staring us down like it was a showdown at the OK Corral.
Kevin and I both have a certain amount of guilt when we don't feel like we've done our duty for the day. Taking a whole 24 hours to do absolutely nothing was not as easy as it sounds. There is a laundry list of household chores, but we can't do any of them. And, there is that HUGE mountain of dishes growing in the kitchen! It's like telling a person with OCD not to straighten the crooked picture on the wall! Aaaaaaaahhhhhhh!
In the end, though, we made it. We embraced it. We went for a walk. We watched TV. We played on our computers (I played a game and did NOT check Facebook or email). We snacked. We talked. We accomplished nothing, and it was wonderful!
When sundown rolled back around. I put the pot of leftovers on the stove to warm up. Kevin went straight for the pile of dishes. Something inside me was a little sad it was over, simultaneouly looking forward to the next time we can leave the dishes until the next day.