Carolyn’s Therapy Sessions

What to do on Sundays…Continued March 24, 2008

I got a comment from my father in law, David (Husband of momorama) about how he keeps the Sabbath Day holy. His comment was pretty long, so I thought it would best be shared as a guest post. Here are his thoughts on the Sabbath. Thanks for the advice!

1. No homework (i.e. Schoolwork) on Sunday. This was my parents rule, which I have always followed. But I think this has to be a personal choice, not one imposed by parents on children. Otherwise, the children will blame the parents for not being able to get their homework done. I have read in my father’s history about when he was in college, newly married, and busy with church callings. He made a commitment to not study on Sunday, and felt the Lord truly blessed him for it. He graduated in the top of his class.

2. Walk/drive in the park - I’m okay with that, or maybe just a walk around the neighborhood, especially if done as a family or parent-child combo. But sometimes the line there gets fuzzy (like when you pass the playground), hence our rule was “no playing outside”, which is much more clearly defined.

3. Exercising – I love bicycling, sailing, and numerous other outdoor activities, but I figure my body needs a day to rest. I have been known to ride my bike to church, and if gas prices keep going up, we may all be doing that soon. On the other hand, I have a friend who is on the high council who does triathalons, and does 30 to 40 mile rides on Sunday mornings. So I guess that’s really a personal choice. I recall the example of Olympic Gold medal gymnast Peter Vidmar. His coach told him he would have to train 7 days/week if he wanted to be the best in the world. He refused, and trained 6 days/week, and still won a gold medal (1984 LA games). The movie “Chariots of Fire”, is another good story, from the 1922 Olympics. Eric Liddel, a Christian missionary and 100m sprinter refuses to run in a qualifying heat because it was held on Sunday. He is switched to the 400m event on another day, and goes on to win a gold medal. I confess that I do practice yoga. It seems more restful and relaxing.

4. Playing with friends - When I was little, we spent a lot more time at church, or traveling to and from church. I think it was 1980 when we switched from separate morning Sunday School and afternoon/evening Sacrament meetings to the current 3-hour block system. On the old system, when I was maybe 7-10 years old, my good friend lived quite a distance away, so we would only see each other on Sundays. Our parents used to let us take turns going to each other’s homes between the morning and afternoon meetings. I suppose the “friends” issue has to do with focusing on family time together.

5. Family meals - I think it was when I started dating Christy that I started the tradition of Sunday pancakes or waffles after church. It was kind of a fun meal (albeit not a particularly healthy one), that everyone liked and looked forward to. I used to try and involve the kids in helping me mix up the batter, flip the pancakes, etc. Christy finally had enough of the syrupy stuff and rarely eats them anymore. Sometimes we would invite another family over after church to join us for waffles. This was a good way to get to know new families in our ward.

6. Computer use – obviously, I’m on the computer now, and it is Sunday. I think letter writing, emails, reading blogs, etc. are good ways to stay in touch with family. I try and make an entry in my journal every Sunday, usually about a page of text. Computer games were not an issue when I was a teenager, and I am not a game player now, so I’ll not comment on that issue.

7. Crafting and creative projects – I have mixed feelings here. If it was a joint parent-child project (such as learning origami, cross-stitching, cooking) that would be good. If I was off in the basement by myself doing wood working, maybe not so good. Putting together family scrapbooks/photo alblums could be good. I think playing a musical instrument (depending on the type of music) could be good. I enjoy singing, and attend choir practice on Sundays before church. But that also means we don’t drive to church together as a family. I guess it’s finding that elusive balance.

8. Dating – I didn’t really date until after my mission. At BYU there were often Sunday evening firesides I would go to with a date. When courting my wife, we would attend church together, and then I would spend most Sunday afternoons at her house. So I think it depends on the activity.

I guess I’ve rambled long enough. Hope this helps a little.

Dad G.