snow day

Yesterday was a snow day for my son (no school) and a snow night for both of us (no church). The fact that the dusting of snow had largely disappeared by lunch time didn't matter - our Wednesday routine had been altered by "inclimate weather." And I was glad. Sometimes we all need a break.

As a teenager, I remember going to sleep with a feeling of anticipation when Tom Siler, the "Weather Wizard," forecast an overnight snow. When I woke up in the morning, I resisted the urge to actually look at the window to see if the world had becoming a winter wonderland and instead flipped on the TV to the Ralph Emery Show to watch the Snowbird report. Would Williamson County be one of the highlighted counties on the map? More often than not, I was disappointed. The snow had not come, the schools were not closed, and I had to get up and get going. But when a long-awaited snow day finally arrived - what a feeling of relief! Faced with a day wide open to possibilities, I immediately went back to sleep, because rest was really what I wanted - and needed - most.

I still find myself craving rest. During the past few years, I have tried to become more conscientious about observing the Sabbath for that very reason. I don't do chores on the Sabbath. I don't work on writing assignments. I try to refrain from looking at my email inbox (though that temptation looms heavily). Instead, I take a nap. I spend time with my family. I breathe deeply. Resisting the urge to work on one day a week leaves me better prepared mentally, physically, and spiritually to work on the other six days. 

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your soul. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30