I have decided to begin this blog with a musical number.
But we did listen to it long ago when I first learned this nugget of a tune. It was an easy song to remember, especially since we lived it every week. While Saturday was always a special day, it couldn't hold a candle to Sunday.
For Latter day Saints, Sunday is the day to reflect and refuel. It's a day with some pretty strict guidelines, but somehow always ends up being one of the busiest. Perhaps that's because it bears the symbolism of Christ's resurrection, and in doing so, asks us to follow his example by not laying around a tomb all day.
Now that I'm older, I may be past the age of singing the "Saturday" ditty, but Sunday continues to be a big deal to me. In my most connected times, it's a weekly opportunity to bring balance to every part of my life. Lately I've noticed that when I take advantage of that opportunity, I end up having an influx of personal epiphanies.
These epiphanies come in all shapes and sizes and from all manner of sources. Just last week, for example, I was in Sunday School listening to a lesson about prayer when suddenly I saw written across the caverns of my mind,
"GOD IS NOT A HOARDER."
How wonderfully specific to receive spiritual lessons via the unfocused lens of basic cable programming! But though it may sound weird, or even sacrilegious to some, the fact is the clearest way for me in that moment to understand the true nature of God was to imagine him holding on to blessings like hoarders hold on to expired yogurts. I was grateful.
Another example of these epiphanies is what I've started to call "divine hello's." These are times when I'll be sitting in church on a Sunday and have the impulse to text somebody. So I do. Yes, I know, texting while churching is dangerous, but I only do it if I think it's Sunday worthy. After all, if God can inspire his children to communicate with each other through scripture, then dang it, he can do it through texting too!
Other recent Sunday epiphanies include realizing how much I love naps, or how girls should never wear "bump-its" when there might be someone in the pew directly behind them. Sunday was even the day this year I realized what my New Year's resolution was going to be.
The fact is I love Sunday, and I love what I learn while I'm loving it. It's why I look forward to it every week. It has nothing to do with champagne brunches or trips to the beach. I love Sunday because I need it to think about things in a much grander way than I might the rest of the week. It's a day that somehow forces me to think about myself and not think about myself all at the same time. Is that was even possible?
Regardless, I invite you all to try and make Sunday a little more sacred for yourselves. The good news is it's already a day of the week, so you don't need to actually go out and get anything. It's just about rearranging. Do like the song says! Clean the house and shop at the store on Saturday. That way you'll make sure to have time for the really important stuff on Sunday.
A word of caution, though. There's one lyric in the song that basically implies you shouldn't wash your hair on Sunday, and I totally think that's a judgement call. Personally, I have to shower in the morning. But I suppose you can have your own epiphany about that one...
