Long time readers of my blog will know that for several years I have reserved Saturday as a Sabbath, a day of rest and seclusion, a special time of looking for the signs of God's work in my life.
It starts on Friday when I get the house in order. I like Sabbath to be a time of calm and a clean, tidy house helps with that. Happily the wonderful Annie, my home-enhancer, sorted that one! I like to tidy before she comes (otherwise she would tidy and I wouldn't find any thing) but she makes sure everything gleams.
Sabbath begins with my evening meal. This week it was stir fried vegetables with cashew nuts. Sometimes I will have a glass of wine and after the meal I settle down with my favourite mint tea, made in a tea-pot and drunk from a fine china cup and saucer. These little touches are important. Then I settle down to a quiet evening. This week it was knitting and an audiobook.
Saturday's activities are also quiet. Yesterday I was scanning some of my late sister's work on the family tree. This magnum opus runs to five ring binders full of A4 sheets so it is a mammoth task As I scanned I thought of her, and of our parents. I thought about my Great Great Great Great Great Grandfather Joseph, born in Epworth in 1769 some sixty years after the young John Wesley was "The brand plucked from the fire" as his father's Rectory in that same village burned to the ground. I thought about many of my foremothers and forefathers, the people who quite literally made me the woman I am today. And I thanked God for them.
And while I was doing that there was a wonderful delivery - orchids! These were a gift from a dear friend. And so my thoughts turned from my ancestors to the wonderful loving friends I have today.
Truly my Sabbath was crowned with glory
What a beautiful gift, the colour of them is stunning...crowned with glory indeed.
ReplyDeleteI am just so blessed!
DeleteThe orchids are beautiful. Genealogy is so fascinating, I'd love to go back and meet some of the ancestors I've discovered.
ReplyDeleteThis is the first time I've looked carefully at my sister's hard work. I may blog about it some more.
DeleteI remember Sundays as a child when we could do nothing but read the bible , somehow we always found mischief to get into after chapel and Sunday School , it could take most of the day to walk home, but it was oddly relaxing .
ReplyDeleteI'm finding this "new" rhythm really great. At one time it felt constraining but after over four years it is really showing me its wonders.
Deletewhat a wonderful day! You are, indeed, blessed! And your sister's work is something to be cherished. Being one who is interested in genealogy I would love to hear more about it. Genealogy is an amazing thing -- there doesn't seem to be much gray area -- people either like it or they don't -- not much in between. I find that the more we learn about our ancestors it really helps us to know them -- not as if we had lived knowing them, of course, but we do get a good idea of what they were like and how we connect. Such a gift.
ReplyDeleteI've never been particularly interested in genealogy - a family really needs only one. I feel that all her hard work shouldn't just stay in files in my study so I'm starting to copy it for our cousins. She did so much. It runs to five large ring binders each containing about four hundred sheets of A4.
DeleteSuch beautiful orchids, they must have made your day even better.
ReplyDeleteThey did. And they are making life wonderful today too.
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