Today has been my Sabbath. I have been keeping this special day for over three years now and each week I still look forward to it.
If you had come to my home today you would have been welcomed and offered a cuppa but you wouldn't have been pressed to stay. This is a day of quiet and seclusion.
It's nothing like a Jewish Sabbath which is a family celebration and starts with a family meal. I am a single woman and I use this special day to embrace my solitary life. My meal each Friday night is special. I make sure I use a freshly laundered tablecloth and napkin. Plonking the food on the plate is not an option: this is a day for serving dishes and maybe even ceremony, even if just for me. Or maybe especially just for me. A candle may be lit or a small vase of flowers placed on the table.
After my meal I settle with my sewing or knitting or maybe I write a letter or two. I read or listen to an audiobook and after Compline I often have a early night.
Today I have been making Christmas cards, a lovely thing to do as I think of all the friends I will be sending them to. I delight in my home which I have cleaned and tidied to make sure it feels calm and is an aid to tranquility,
It is a time for thanking God for the great life I have, not regretting what I don't have, a time to remember that contentment is about wanting what I have rather than having what I want. It is a time for thinking what is important and resolving to pursue it.
It is indeed God-given time.
How lovely to read a blog by a single woman who does not constantly refer to OH, who does all the mucky jobs of curse. Those of us who live alone do ALL the jobs of children urge, inside and out. Your day should undo lovely, my quiet day will be today, not a word spoken to anyone, just peace and solitude. Anna.
ReplyDeleteThank you. Enjoy your day.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your explanation. I knew some within the Christian faith observed Saturday and iI presumed this was why you did. Now I realise that Sunday was/is a working day and you had to set aside another for your own peace and contemplation.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was young I disliked Sundays as Sunday School and the silence of the day seemed oppressive. Now I understand better - one such day is really essential.
Thanks for that Blossom. Yes, it is my "alternative day of rest". Taking up to four services on a Sunday wasn't really conducive to total relaxation!
DeleteIt sounds idyllic, a great way to celebrate faith and have inner peace. Crafting is a wonderful way to think of friends and family whilst enjoying the process. Take care.
ReplyDelete