Taking Back my Sundays

Last weekend, Bill and I split up for Mass. He ran off to the 9am shortly after getting out of bed and took Billy with him. He wanted to get home and get an early start on building the swing set my mom bought for the kids. It's one of those big, industrial ones that will last forever and take a whole day to assemble. I jumped on the computer to find a local Mass that I could squeeze in for the rest of us without waiting until noon for our regular Mass. Off I ran to St. Francis in Dracut for the 10:00 missing my husband and two oldest kids. (Kailah joined her father and brother because she had plans that day as well.) When we returned from Mass, the men were already getting to work on digging holes for the posts. We were all given various rakes, shovels, and wheelbarrows and instructed in what needed to be accomplished that day. We needed to get the hay off the new grass. We needed to clean up the mess at the bottom of the driveway. We needed to move the rocks to the wall. Nice. Love it. There I was raking the hay when someone came and told me, "Mom, Dad wants to see you." So I went out to the back yard to find out what task he was looking for me to do now, even though I was not done with the first job. That's when it happened. Bill asked me the one question that would put me over the edge. Aparantly, I had purchased the wrong length of 6x6's and they needed to be exchanged. He looked at me with his sweetest eyes and pleaded, "Will you go to the Home Depot?" Dead. The man just committed Sunday yard work cooperation suicide. (I bet that's the first time you've ever heard that phrase.) There was no way I was going to the Depot again. Not on Sunday! I was tired. Tired of the Depot. Tired of work. and tired of never getting a day off to spend with my family. My whole family, Bill included. So I looked straight in his eyes and said quite simply, "No." Bill was astonished. I NEVER say no. I am always willing to run errands for him. So he looked at me puzzled and said, "I thought you wanted this built?" "I do." I reassured him. "But not on Sunday. Today I want more than anything to take a day of rest. I don't want to work. I don't want you to work. I want you to spend the day with me and the kids. All of this work will still be here tomorrow. Let's play." Knowing it was the truth, that this was Sunday, the Lord's Day, he conceded. He didn't want to work on Sunday either. He wanted a day to rest, but the honey-do lis t had gotten so long that the only way he could see to accomplish all he needed to get done was to just keep on working. I had placed such an enormous load of needs on his shoulders and the only day he wasn't working in this busy Summer season was Sunday. He wanted to be a good husband and father. He wanted to give us what we wanted. I wanted grass and a flower garden in the front. The kids wanted their swing set. He wanted to please us. Putting aside our tools and walking away from our chores, we all got changed once again and met in the pool. We swam and played for hours. We warmed up some leftovers for dinner and then made ice cream sundaes for dessert. When the sun started to go down, we went inside for a family movie and we all curled up together and watched. That night we went to bed tired from a long day of play and woke up Monday morning feeling refreshed and fulfilled that we had given that day to each other, to our children, and to God. This week has been amazingly productive. I have done more around the house this week than I have all Summer and I know it is because we took the time to give the Lord what is due to Him. Our Lord will not be outdone in generosity. If you feel caught up in the craziness of life. If you feel like there's never enough time in the day. If you feel like you are forever working and never getting anywhere, take a good look at your schedule. Are you giving the Lord His day? We know it is important, there's a whole commandment about it. But we forget that this commandment is not for the Lord's good alone. This commandment is for our good. God, our generous and loving Father, knows His children. He knows that we need rest and recreation. Listen to Him. Take back your Sundays.