i think i’ll take that back, please.
Sunday, that is.
It’s been on my mind a lot, actually, thanks to many things culminating in my life lately. Talking about Taking Back Sunday pretty much freaks people out. There are so many excuses, and I’m no different. You’ll know your excuse when it’s preceded by a “but” or a “well” or a “just this one thing…”
But well enough.
Your Taking-Back-Sunday day doesn’t have to be Sunday. It can be any day, maybe even a different day each week. Maybe yours happens to be just an afternoon, or every morning from five to seven (if that’s the case, good on you but you’re a freak for getting up that early).
Last week, our Taking Back Sunday actually happened to be on Sunday, which I think is a super bonus. It was time together as a family. Some of the time was quiet, some of it silly. But there was plenty of space in that time for listening: to the snow, to the wind, to my heart. For the boys, it also included a nose assault from horse poop, but that brought weird joy to them and a lot of belly laughs. There was a new space in which I could simply watch them without refereeing, and that is a kind of awesome not experienced very frequently. There was also one of those incredible moments of all-of-a-sudden-hand-holding between Hank and me, which just kind of happens like two long-lost magnets connecting softly and before you realize it.
A long time ago, there was a God commandment to protect your Sabbath, so that you could do this kind of thing every week and have that long-lost-magnet-connection with Him, too. I like that. The God commandment included that time for your whole house and all of your animals, and then every seven years He commanded a Sabbath for your crops that lasted a whole year so that the ground could rest, too. Talk about a sabbatical. Refreshocity.
So, while our Taking Back Sunday looks a little active here, I think that looks can be deceiving. We haven’t felt this connected as a family in a while.
A pause here, just for a moment, for two important things:
1) Our family pictures are blurry, and that’s a-ok by me. The man at the stables was so thoughtful and excited to take our photos for us, and while I set some things up for him and tried to give him a quick rundown on where buttons were and how to use the camera, it’s admittedly confusing. I will always cherish these, because I rarely have the opp to be in a photo with everyone, and I just simply adore these. They make me giggle.
2) To honor all my photog colleagues AND myself, please stop saying things like, “Wow. Your camera takes great pictures!” when you see a great photo. That’s like saying to a student, “Wow. Your pencil writes amazing essays.” Don’t be a dumbass. It’s not rocket science, but it’s not easy, either.
Now. Time for blurry pics. :)
So. Much. Love.
We stopped about halfway through our ride at a little camp hosted by a woman who summers in Florida and winters in Colorado. I thought she had that backwards, but I suppose if you love the true essence of a spot, you’d want to live there during its glory time. That’s intensity at it’s best.
Did you know that just one of these horses could pull a sleigh just fine with a load of about 8-10 people? And their coats protect them from the cold down to about -30F?
Please don’t let the God-talk up there make you mad or freak you out; lots of folks throughout the ages have discovered how very valuable Taking Back Sunday is.
Like Albert Schweitzer:
Do not let Sunday be taken from you. If your soul has no Sunday, it becomes an orphan.
Yikes. I want my momma.
And like the inventors of computers, who built in that whole defragmenting thing. Yogis with their meditation and praying people with their, well, prayers. Take some time to get your stuff back in order so that you can work properly throughout the week.
Now go out there (or stay at home) and get you some of that Sunday. Rest it up. And remember, there is an art to doing nothing.
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