An Unexpected Gift

Remember the Blue Laws? The days when nothing was open on Sunday’s. It was a day set aside for families and relaxation. There was no place to go except to church for that was the only place open.
As a child, it was a day where mom and dad were home together, no rush, no routine, except Mass and always dinner at Gram’s house with the extended family.
A simple time, where we were free to just be, to explore our own thoughts and slow down. Many a Sunday, my cousins and I would run through the woods, looking for salamanders, getting lost in the unstructured time.
I realize now this is the greatest gift God gives us…..Sundays……a day of rest and no expectation. A day to ponder the meaning of life, to realign our thoughts with what truly matters….relationships. A time to listen for the voice of God spoken in nature, and in silence, beckoning us, molding us, urging us to be who we are created to be.
Good things happen when we are free to just be, we set down our responsibilities, our bodies relax, our minds shut down, and we rest. We are made for rest and silence so that we can hear the voice of God whispering, calling us to follow the interior prompting, the divine directives to more fully manifest the kingdom on earth.
The ebb and flow of a life in the days of Blue Laws brought a sense of closing of one week and beginning a new. With our bodies and minds relaxed and refreshed we were ready for the week ahead. Armed with new knowledge that was infused in us while we rested in the Lord, while doing nothing on a Sunday.
Attuned to the voice of God we received answers to a problems, new ways to engage someone, or perhaps the beginning of a vocation. With edified hearts and rested minds we brought a sense of serenity and peacefulness into our busy, noisy world.
Bringing light to darkness.