Observing Sabbath

This post is a bit different from my previous ones, but here it goes anyway.

For a while now, I have been longing for a place where I can feel connected to a Higher Entity. I had tried a couple of congregations, but had not felt that I was at home. Recently, though, I visited the Second Unitarian Church of Chicago, and I think I have found the right place for us. The first time I was there I was impressed with the warm welcome that members gave me as well as by the very diverse group of people at the church. I was equally impressed with the sermon on that day as it quoted from different sources - the Quran, the Bible, Buddhism, and the message was geared towards growth as an individual person rather than a punitive, "burn in hell" one that often one hears.

About three weeks ago, I was there for the Sunday morning service, and when the Reverend began his sermon, I felt as if Andrew had talked to him about my issues and the message was specifically directed to me. You see, for years Andrew has been telling me that I need to stop; that I need to take a break and relax, but I just can't seem to be able to do this. It seems that there is always something that needs to be done: groceries, laundry, bills…it never ends. 

That's me on any typical day. Sigh!

The Reverend spoke of the need to take a Sabbath, a day of rest. A day in which you stopped doing the things that "need to be done" and focused on replenishing your spirit, your inner self. A day in which you did what we call the "not doings," those things that you always wanted to do, but never have time to do.  "A Sabbath? Who can take that day off?," I asked myself. I could not conceive taking a day off and not do anything. But the message presented by the Reverend was so enticing! It sounded like such a great thing to do, but really, could I take Saturday off? On cue, the Reverend spoke about when you can take Sabbath: it does not literally have to be on Saturday, as many people do. After all, we all have different schedules and Saturdays may turn out to be a really busy day. So, the point was not observing Sabbath on a particular day, Saturday in this case, but rather selecting a day in which you would observe it. For him, Sabbath was on Mondays. On this day he did not schedule any meetings, but spent the day reading, thinking, and doing other things that were of value to him.

Is it more important the day in which you observe it,
or that you take the time to observe it? 

I left church with a great feeling. I called Andrew, who had not been able to join me on that day, and told him that I wanted to start observing Sabbath the following Sunday; he immediately agreed with me. Next we told the girls, and they were generally happy mostly because I would not be bothering them with chores. The Friday before was a bit different; we got home and Andrew was ready to relax, but I reminded him that we needed to get things done so that we would not be stressed on Sunday. I started the laundry and cleaning the house. On Saturday, we continued with the house chores and Andrew bought groceries, something we generally do on Sundays. And then came Sunday: we went to church first, and afterwards we had brunch together. Then we came home, picked up our magazines, laptops, and notebooks and went to the first floor. We spent the rest of the day writing our blogs, reading, talking, and just relaxing. I also began organizing my photos; I have tons of photos that need to be put in some sort of order so that they can be enjoyed. Later on, we enjoyed a delicious meal prepared by Omar, and finally went to the gym. It was such a good day! I was delighted we had done it.

And then came the following Sunday. Actually, since Friday I was beginning to feel a bit anxious about it. We had commitments both on Friday and Saturday, which limited the time available to complete the house chores. By Sunday morning I had a mess in my head thinking of what needed to be done and had not been done and trying to sabotage our Sabbath. Luckily, Andrew did not allow it. So again, we spent the day relaxing, reading, napping, and going to the gym. Yes, we had successfully observed our Sabbath again.

I'm committed to continue doing this. 

It is too soon to see the long-term benefits of this new venture. But if the past two Sundays are an indication of what is to come, I can say that the benefits will be enormous not only for my spiritual and physical health, but for strengthening my relationship with my husband as we share more things together. And why not pursue what can have such wonderful benefits?

I am in.