Exhausted after the Sabbath

Photo by David Wagner

I did not work in my office yesterday (it was the Sabbath, remember?) Never even turned on my computer to check out FB statuses. Not working = rest, right? Not in this case, and today my body is rebelling in all sorts of ways.

This coming Wednesday is our daughter, Mindy's, birthday. So we gathered the family together last evening to celebrate. We started off the day with Sunday School and worship service. I led the adult SS class discussion on the book/DVD series, Beautiful Outlaw, by John Eldredge, and then I sang with the worship team, which meant being on my feet a lot.

We skipped lunch out with the kids and headed to a couple stores on our way home from church, in preparation for the evening meal. Again, more time spent on my feet.

Once home, it was meal preparation, last minute cleaning, and creative table setting (that's something I enjoy, and if I must say so, I outdid myself... wish I had pictures). I was on my feet and up and down stairs (mostly related to the creative table setting and the need to retrieve items from the basement to make it just right). By 5:00, I was beat and the kids and grandkids started to arrive. 

By midnight, as we were closing the door as the last couple left, I was beat. I put away the remaining pieces of pumpkin cheesecake (yes, there was actually some cheesecake left!) and I headed for bed. Washing my face and brushing my teeth was even a struggle. 

I woke up this morning feeling like I'd been hit by a bus. My fibromyalgia and Epstein Barr Virus Syndrome tend to rear their ugly heads when autumn rolls around and this year is no exception. Ouch.

Was it worth it? Of course, it was. I love having the family gathered around the table sharing a meal and lots of laughter. I just wish we'd start doing this at someone else's house from time to time. Green Grandma's getting old. 

Why am I sharing all of this with you on this chilly Monday morning? Simply because it reiterates what I've been saying for 2 years now... Sabbath rest is necessary. At least it is for me. I wish my schedule allowed for me to substitute Monday for my Sabbath Experience this week, but there are deadlines to meet and meetings to plan for. So, I'm just going to have to wait until next week to savor the sweetness of a day of rest. 

Until then, I'll keep plowing through. 

Sharing my Sabbath experience with you week-by-week,

Hana

The Sabbath Experiment -- week five

Some of our daughters and our grandbabies

It is a rainy Monday morning in Pittsburgh. I expected to be a bit more tired today than I actually am. Yesterday was a busy day.

It started off in line with my goals for a Sabbath day. I taught Sunday school to the adult class (I Peter 4:12-19 -- good stuff) and then sang with the worship band. Ours is a smallish urban church that is faced with the issues in the beginning of James chapter 2 on a fairly regular basis. I doubt there's a rich mega-church in our future, which is perfectly alright with me.

We skipped going out to lunch with the family because most everyone was gathering at the house later in the afternoon for dinner to celebrate our daughter's birthday. On the way home from church, I had to stop at the grocery store for some things I neglected to get on Saturday. That the first strike against my Sabbath day goal.

Since we had our granddaughter with us, we had to feed her when we got home. Then it was diaper-changing time, followed by a story and nap...or so I hoped. Checking in on her about 15 minutes after laying her down, I discovered the need to change yet another diaper...a poopy one. Okay, on the second try she fell asleep and slept for two hours. Good girl.

That is when I had to run downstairs and get dinner on. My husband kindly had cleaned up the kitchen while I was upstairs with Laura, and then started cutting up the potatoes while I went to work on the smoked sausage, onions and carrots. For some reason, Melinda loves my sausage stew and requests it every year for her birthday meal. Usually I like to simmer it slowly for 5 hours or so, but Sunday's schedule certainly didn't allow for that...so I browned the meat, added the veggies and other ingredients and then hiked up the heat and let it boil for awhile.

Next it was time to open up the dining room table to add a leaf to accommodate 8. Laura is still in a high chair and Lincoln is either dining from the breast or sitting in his car seat. Clean tablecloth. Check. Remove dead flowers from the centerpiece and add fresh ones. Check. Clean up the family room. Check. Wrap the presents. Check. Set the table. Check.....Check. Check. Check. Whew. Something about all of this does not seem to mimic the initial plans I laid out when I started the Sabbath Experiment!

The family descended on us and I continued in my busyness for another 4 hours. By the time everyone left, Bill and I were beat. One load ran through the dishwasher, but other than putting the food away, that was all I was doing. Bill gathered the trash and recycling and put it at the end of the driveway and then we basically crashed for the last 2 hours of the Sabbath. At least we got 2 hours of rest in!

So...as far as week five of the experiment goes...I have to say it was a fail. HOWEVER, as far as family time goes...it was any but that. After all, there is nothing better than surrounding yourself with the ones you love, even if it means exhaustion at the end of the day. That's how nearly every day is for you moms out there who are taking care of precious little ones, right? And you wouldn't change it for the world.

Am I glad for the fail yesterday? You bet. Celebrating Melinda's birthday was so worth it. And oddly enough, I feel quite rested today. Rested and content.

In honor of Melinda, I thought I would share my recipes with you. The sausage stew is a really wonderful thing to serve on chilly fall days, by the way. So check back tomorrow for that recipe, as well as the one for my balsamic vinagrette dressing.

Keeping the Sabbath...one way or another,

Hana



Next it was time