Today has been my Sabbath. I have been keeping this special day for over three years now and each week I still look forward to it.
If you had come to my home today you would have been welcomed and offered a cuppa but you wouldn't have been pressed to stay. This is a day of quiet and seclusion.
It's nothing like a Jewish Sabbath which is a family celebration and starts with a family meal. I am a single woman and I use this special day to embrace my solitary life. My meal each Friday night is special. I make sure I use a freshly laundered tablecloth and napkin. Plonking the food on the plate is not an option: this is a day for serving dishes and maybe even ceremony, even if just for me. Or maybe especially just for me. A candle may be lit or a small vase of flowers placed on the table.
After my meal I settle with my sewing or knitting or maybe I write a letter or two. I read or listen to an audiobook and after Compline I often have a early night.
Today I have been making Christmas cards, a lovely thing to do as I think of all the friends I will be sending them to. I delight in my home which I have cleaned and tidied to make sure it feels calm and is an aid to tranquility,
It is a time for thanking God for the great life I have, not regretting what I don't have, a time to remember that contentment is about wanting what I have rather than having what I want. It is a time for thinking what is important and resolving to pursue it.
It is indeed God-given time.
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