Sabbath Day Reflections
by Kym on July 20, 2008
I am flushed a bright pink as I type this. No, not the usual self-doubt and impending shame that sometimes attend the process of writing. I’m sunburnt and hotly gleaming in the musty warmth of a house whose windows we forgot to open last night.
I feel sympathy for wilting flowers everywhere.
Because idiocy seems to be my constant companion, I didn’t wear a hat yesterday. Not quite shocking, as I hate wearing hats and never do, but idiotic nonetheless. When you spend the entirety of the day outside, and the summer sun is beating down, and you are pale to the point of gothic…
Yeah, whether or not to wear a hat shouldn’t even be a question.
So for the third time this summer I’m stuck at home feeling sun addled and trying to fight back the waves of nausea. I sometimes think I’m here on this earth to make everyone else look good. Well, I don’t believe it, but I do think it.
Truth is, I know why I’m here, and that’s a pretty fabulous piece of knowledge to have. I might not have been able to attend church today, but despite that I can’t help taking a little time to reflect on the blessings of faith and understanding.
I know that there is a purpose, many purposes, to my existence here. I know that I have a loving Heavenly Father, and that while there is so much about Him that I can’t even begin to comprehend, that doesn’t preclude me from having a relationship with my Father. I’m feeling really grateful for that today.
I may be a bit in the surly teenager stage of life when it comes to my spiritual development. Still experiencing those impulsive desires for freedom that at times have me headed in entirely the wrong direction. I am willful and full of pride, and have so very much to learn. But I’m blessed by glimmers of humility within myself. I find that as I experience the joys and griefs of parenthood that I understand my Heavenly Father in ways I never thought I could.
Neil is fond of saying that we aren’t on this earth to learn to be children. We already know how to do that. We’re here to learn what it is to be adults, and the multitude of lessons learned during that painful process of growing up.
I know I’m rambling. I think it’s what I do when I can’t adequately put my thoughts into words.
I’m just grateful in moments like this, when I reflect on the silliness that is me, that I have the hope of growing and developing into something infinitely, eternally, more.
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22 comments
I know what you mean about the hats and being pale. I have hats, I just don’t wear them.
E-mail me your address and I am going to send you some wonderful lotion for that burn.
by Sandra on July 20, 2008 at 7:44 pm. #
Boy, I’ve done that before – and missed church in the bargain, too.
Thanks for your thoughts today. I especially like the idea that we’re here to learn to be ADULTS, not kids. I sometimes have to remind myself to put my “big girl pants on” and just stop whining about the responsibilities and expectations in my life. It’s like I get too busy being the Mom to be the Mom, if that makes any sense.
See, now I’m rambling. :) Thanks again for the post.
by stacey @ happyarewe on July 20, 2008 at 9:07 pm. #
I’m loving your Sunday Reflections posts . . . so sorry about your burn . . . that’s absolutely no fun . . . we need to find you a kicky hat that you’ll LOVE to wear . . . any style/colour suggestions? I’m on a mission! ;)
love you!
by Kate on July 20, 2008 at 9:38 pm. #
I got fried last weekend and the backs of my legs are still not forgiving me.
I love your insight on things. I needed that today, thanks.
by Amber on July 20, 2008 at 10:19 pm. #
Such a good idea to sit for a few minutes and reflect on what we’re actually doing here.
I should do that. But I’m reading blogs.
by JustRandi on July 20, 2008 at 10:32 pm. #
Sweetie, even your ramblings are brilliant. And I too am someone who needs to wear a hat. Fortunately at the moment it is a rain hat so no sun burn for me. Hugs though and keep sipping fluids. x
by Jo Beaufoix on July 21, 2008 at 12:21 am. #
Your sunburn would be the metaphor for my spiritual life. Being fair with light eyes, I burn if I walk to the mailbox and rifle through the mail there instead of bringing it in. And I live four blocks from the beach so sunburn is my constant adversary. And yet…there are days where I think, I won’t be out that long or it’s going to be overcast or (and this is my favorite) I’ll be moving around a lot so I don’t need the sunblock.
Then I pay.
Maybe my Sabbath reflection will be the ways I sometimes relax my spiritual vigil and get burned. Seeing as I haven’t been translated yet, I’m pretty sure I have a lot to think about.
Please, ramble on. You go such nice places.
by Melanie J on July 21, 2008 at 1:08 am. #
Asher is so white, that his uncle keeps asking us where we got the geisha make-up for him. He burns in about five seconds. Which calls for much mom guilt!
I love your Sunday thoughts too.
by heather on July 21, 2008 at 1:09 am. #
aaaah you only need a hat if you live some place that gets the sun. fortunately, i get to go hatless a lot. well, all the time.
i’m very very VERY disappointed to learn we are not here to learn to be children. that bit of meta-learning has thrown me for a loop, but i am going to soldier on learning to be a child. i think i almost have it nailed.
by holly on July 21, 2008 at 1:09 am. #
“I am willful and full of pride, and have so very much to learn. But I’m blessed by glimmers of humility within myself. I find that as I experience the joys and griefs of parenthood that I understand my Heavenly Father in ways I never thought I could.”
Me, too.
There is a reason why we have kids, and a lot of that goes to teaching us how to be more humble.
Beautiful post … and I hope you are starting to feel better!
by An Ordinary Mom on July 21, 2008 at 3:20 am. #
The sun sickies are no fun. Hope if wears off soon and put the hat on next time will ya?
The knowledge you speak of gives me great comfort and I too am thankful for it.
by Tonya on July 21, 2008 at 3:25 am. #
ouchie. sorry you’re sunburned. i hate that icky sunburned feeling. i always get the chills even though i’m burning hot and those make me nauseous.
i really enjoyed your sabbath day reflections. and neil’s thoughts on us learning to be adults since we obviously already are immature children. feel better!
by aubrey on July 21, 2008 at 4:51 am. #
I love rambly posts that say so much. Your posts are always so transparent, and I appreciate that about you. Thank you for being you….and sharing yourself with us.
by Corey~living and loving on July 21, 2008 at 5:21 am. #
First of all, I’m so ignorant about Canadian geography it never occurred to me that it actually gets unbearably hot or burningly sunny there! (duh!)
And I have uttered this very sentence many times “I sometimes think I’m here on this earth to make everyone else look good.”
Lovely reflections on the purpose of life, and its learning curve. Thank you.
by charrette on July 21, 2008 at 6:37 am. #
I hope you feel better soon.
by Anna Maria Junus on July 21, 2008 at 8:20 am. #
I like your ramblings. Sunburn is so horrid, I hope you’re feeling better today.
by razzler on July 21, 2008 at 10:08 am. #
I had that day yesterday too; something about services really *touched* me, and in no way can I explain it.
Beautiful post, oh pink one.
by Lisa Milton on July 21, 2008 at 4:21 pm. #
Get some sunscreen!! Hats only make me hotter. Of course, I stay out of the sun as much as humanely possible. I’m no fun at all during the summer.
by Tristi Pinkston on July 21, 2008 at 5:57 pm. #
It is so awesome to have that knowlege.
I’ve done the lobster face thing a couple of times. I hate sunscreen! I feel your pain!
by Tirzah on July 21, 2008 at 7:34 pm. #
Ugh, sunburns are no fun! I hope you get to feeling better soon.
by Jaina on July 22, 2008 at 4:29 pm. #
Sunburn can make you delusional. However, if self-bettering random thoughts are what it inspires, at least being burned to a crisp has some benefit.
I understand your random thoughts and could have written them. I finally feel the slightest bit that I may be starting to ‘grow up’.
by Rebecca on July 22, 2008 at 6:01 pm. #
soooo…. it just has to be sunny and I’m insta tan…. I can thank my native heritage for that! But I do agree with Neil. Being a kid is always easy… it’s when you have to grow up that puts us in a quander.
by Abra on July 23, 2008 at 4:17 am. #