#Resting

OK everybody. Take a deep breath and exhale slooooowly. Now didn’t that feel good? You deserve it. You made it through another Thanksgiving weekend, and all that goes with it.

Frankly, I’m tired – but it is a good kind of tired. (No, I am NOT complaining!) It isn’t just from the overeating, running around, entertaining guests and hosting the event. It is also from the several days leading up to the holiday that are so crammed full of work and shopping that it takes a while to recover. Fatigue can hit several ways.

Physically: Sure, I had my share of tryptophan, and slept in a couple days, but I am still tired. Overeating and staying up too late can do that to a person. So can setting up and tearing down the feast, and getting a jump on unloading all the boxes of Christmas stuff. We went to multiple movies (Coco being the best.) played Jackbox.tv games, laughed, ate at great restaurants, and at home. We sat and talked and laughed sang monkey songs and danced with our precocious granddaughter. Lots of good stuff.

Mentally: I wore myself out trying to maintain my non-complaining pledge. It takes an extraordinary amount of focus to achieve – at least I imagine it would, had I succeeded. It took plenty of mental exertion to even do a mediocre job of it. I can’t call it a resounding success, but I can call it an improvement, which is worthy.

Spiritually: Not so fatigued. I have an awful lot of gratitude in my heart. We were able to spend a lot of time with the entire family. (minus one missionary)  The whole “home for the holidays” idea means so much more when you are the grandparents on the receiving end.

And here we are – Sunday morning. The Sabbath. The “Day of Rest.” And it couldn’t have come at a better time. I am ready for a day of rest. I was looking for some prophetic support for this post and found this wonderful excerpt from President James E. Faust about keeping the Sabbath:

“Why has God asked us to honor the Sabbath day? The reasons I think are at least threefold. The first has to do with the physical need for rest and renewing. Obviously God, who created us, would know more than we do of the limits of our physical and nervous energy and strength.

The second reason is, in my opinion, of far greater significance. It has to do with the need for regeneration and the strengthening of our spiritual being. God knows that, left completely to our own devices without regular reminders of our spiritual needs, many would degenerate into the preoccupation of satisfying earthly desires and appetites. This need for physical, mental, and spiritual regeneration is met in large measure by faithful observance of the Sabbath day.

The third reason may be the most important of the three. It has to do with obedience to commandments as an expression of our love for God. Blessed are those who need no reasons other than their love for the Savior to keep his commandments. The response of Adam to the angel who asked Adam why he made a sacrifice unto the Lord is a model for all. Responded Adam, “I know not, save the Lord commanded me.” (link)

Profound stuff that meshes nicely with what I was describing.

Thanksgiving is an odd time: We celebrate our gratitude to God with unabashed gluttony and then spend the next day gorging on materialism at Black Friday prices. Ironic. I am glad that we end the holiday with a Sabbath day- to regain a sense of perspective and rest from the worldly aspects that can so easily overwhelm the Thanksgiving season. I need it.

Today I plan on resting. Of course I will attend my meetings and fulfill my calling. (Skipping Church to “rest” is another great irony.), but other than that, don’t count on me to do much more than relax, maybe make a Spotify Christmas song playlist, tear open the Conference Report Ensign that’s been sitting on the counter, and enjoy the day.

As President Faust said, “physical, mental, and spiritual regeneration is met in large measure by faithful observance of the Sabbath day.”

And that is precisely how I plan on spending my Sabbath – because, you know, Monday.

Who’s with me?