The Sabbath Day - A Day of Rest?

"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy." -Exodus 20:8

I got up Sunday morning and immediately began assembling my funeral potatoes for dinner. I was hosting dinner for Neil's family that night. Because I was teaching primary, there was no option to sneak out of church a little early to make dinner. We had to eat at 5:00 because we had Young Women's In Excellence at 7:00. So I had to try to pre-prepare as much dinner as possible. I called to Sabrina to hop in the shower. We had to get to a rehearsal for a musical number both Sabrina and I were somehow coerced into playing in. It's hard when you visit teach the ward choir director. I pulled my violin out from under the bed and quite literally wiped off two inches of dust. Sabrina and I tried to play through the piece. What a mess! I can't count. This is not a good thing when you are playing with another violinist, a cellist, a pianist, and a choir. Did I mention I haven't even touched my instrument in maybe two years? Perhaps I should have started practicing a little earlier than 20 minutes before our first rehearsal. 

I walked in and complimented our cellist who almost majored in cello performance until he realized there was no money in such a career. He said, "Well, I was good seven years ago." I told him, "Well, I was mediocre twenty years ago." The room was overflowing with confidence as we washed up instrumentalists muddled through an arrangement obviously not written by a string player. What a mess!

I had no more time to practice. I had to get home and finish preparing my lesson on Esther. I couldn't be late because it was the day of the primary program, and I had to sit on the stand with the kiddos. I drove to church. Mind you, you can see our church from my front window. I could throw a baseball into the parking lot from our driveway. Well, I couldn't throw a baseball, but someone with a modicum of athletic skill could. That's lame to drive to church, I know, but I was late! You guessed it. Not a single open parking stall in the entire parking lot. Dang these over-supportive grandparents! My parents didn't even get an invite. It's a good thing too, because Jonah was home with a nasty soar throat. He got my gomboo. And this would have been his last primary program:( He was not heart-broken. So I parked my car in front of the model home in our neighborhood, which is exactly fifty feet from my own driveway, but I was late! I didn't make it into sacrament meeting before Neil started conducting. So I had to go sit on the stand after the sacrament was passed.

The program went well. My primary lesson went well. While I was teaching, Neil ran a ham to his dad's house to warm then put the potatoes in our oven. I got home with exactly 45 minutes to finish preparing dinner and make my house somewhat presentable. Store-bought rolls this day, no time to make homemade. The ham came from Al's house. It was cold. Yeah, I don't know what happened there. Neil walked in the door from bishopric stuff just in time to cut the cold ham and throw it in the microwave. I sat down to eat but had no appetite after such a stressful day. Besides, who likes cold ham and store-bought rolls?

The Howells thanked us for dinner and went home while we got ready for YW in Excellence. I had to hurry and print a picture of Sabrina because I didn't get the memo that we were supposed to bring a framed picture of our daughter. Yes, there is not a single framed photo of my children anywhere in this house, except for maybe in a box in the basement. YW in Excellence was lovely, mostly because I got to sit. Neil and I were trying to keep ourselves awake. Neil, because he was still getting over jet lag and had been up since his 6:00 am bishopric meeting. And me, because...please read the above paragraphs.

We got home at 8:30. I had been going strong for 12 hours. Neil for 14. We left the kids home, then left for Mom's for a quiet visit. We climbed into bed at 11:00.

A wise man once said that we often get confused at what kind of rest to expect on the Sabbath day. On the Sabbath we rest from our own labors so that we can do the Lord's labors. We set aside our regular work so that we can do the Lord's work. Some Sabbath days, I go to bed more tired than I do on a weekday. But the Lord's work is the best kind of work. Sometimes I just have to remind myself of that fact. This is the work that counts. This is the best work.