“Sunday is the core of our civilization, dedicated to thought and reverence.”
We have anomalies today, and I haven’t quite interpreted their meanings. The sun is shining and the sky is blue. What do these heavenly signs portend? Might they be heralding the end of time and the destruction of all we know and hold dear? Or might this be just a sunny day, and I’m over-reacting?
My neighbor brought me dinner last night. I dined on rice, chicken and an okra dish, the best okra I’ve ever had with not a bit of the slime I’d come to associate with okra. That was a vegetable I didn’t even know existed until Africa where I ate okra soup many times the slime notwithstanding. I’m now adding okra to my list of favorite vegetables.
My brother had the job of emptying the baskets into the barrels kept in the cellar until trash day. It was his only job. I didn’t have a job though sometimes I’d set or clear the table if asked. I think boys and trash were a natural pairing when I was a kid. Back then girls had a certain behavior protocol which didn’t include trash. Any kitchen work was appropriate. Girls also had a stricter dress code than boys. I had to wear a dress or a skirt going to church which also meant I had to wear nice shoes and socks and a hat. I always felt over-dressed, and I was never one for prissy. My brother wore a collared shirt and nice pants. That was it. I envied him the casualness of his Sunday clothing.
Now that I look back, I liked having a Sunday. Every other day of the week was filled with school, playtime, movies, bike riding, watching TV and the so many other fun things we did to pack our days. Sunday was truly a day of rest. We were expected to stay around the house. We had that great family Sunday dinner. It was always special, not the usual fare. The one constant was mashed potatoes.
Sunday has lost its identity. That’s too bad as we all need to stop to take a breath, look around and be amazed at all we can see. Sunday used to be that day. It was special. I even wore a dress.
Explore posts in the same categories: MusingsTags: anomalies, blue sky, destruction, dress and hat, end of time, girls' dress code, heavenly signs, Okra, prissy, sun, Sunday clothing, sunny day
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October 6, 2015 at 12:48 pm
I always go for the end of the world as we know it if there’s something unusual happening, as a sunny day 🙂 There was actually a woman who said that she knew juat that would happen when we had the super blood moon. She is a mormon that had a near death experinece wher she saw the past, the now and the future, well not so far into the future then since it would end already, Either she was wrong or I’ve just not understood that things are no more 🙂 🙂
I’ve grown ocra but those plants attracte all pests known to mankind, or is it plant kind? it is almost impossible to grow even in a green house 🙂 I never tried to eat it though.
I still prefer to do nothing or very little on a Sunday, well Saturdays too to be honest. I need at least that one day to just relax or the coming week will bad because I will feel tired most of the time.
Have a great day!
Christer.
October 6, 2015 at 2:37 pm
Christer,
Okra just needs to be de-slimed though even with the slime it tastes good. I ate it a lot in Ghana but never here. It is a Southern vegetable more than a New England one.
When I worked, Saturday was my errand and chore day. Sunday was dump, change bed and do laundry day. Most times Saturday night was fun night. I had late Sunday afternoons free. Now, of course I hav every afternoon free.
October 6, 2015 at 2:23 pm
Sundays meant St Mary and St Nicholas Church in Leatherhead and after several practices during the week, Sid Hardacre would take up position at the old organ and the choir would sing through Eucharist, Matins and Evensong, sometimes even listening to the word of Cannon Kenneth Ball. The church organ was some 15 feet above the choir and Mr Hardacre would observe all in a large rearview mirror.
In so many ways it was idyllic. the chance to sing, a church that dated back to Norman times and a gentleness that is often missed today. We were compensated with 10 shillings every 3 months and weddings were relatively lucrative. When services were complete we would ride the mile home on our bikes.
It was tradition that the head choir boy would do the first reading on Christmas Eve and through the darkness my voice would ring out. Me Mum would sit there.
The years flew by, Sunday became the pub, a roast lunch and a major nap in front of the Big Match, but that church in Leatherhead will one day be my final resting place.
October 6, 2015 at 2:44 pm
My Dear Hedley,
My father always went to the early mass as he was one of the ushers who would pass the basket. I liked to go with him. He’d give me a quarter or a dime to put into the basket. If he happened to be my usher, he’ d dip the basket in front of me and give me a smile.
I love the description of your Sunday, and I wish I could have heard you on Christmas Eve.
Sunday used to be dump and laundry day, but now it is game night with my friends, a tradition going back a few years. I look forward to those nights. The game and the nap are for the afternoon.
October 6, 2015 at 4:39 pm
Sun-day? Oh, you’ve got the sun now. I’ve already missed it after this nice sunny week. Enjoy it!
October 6, 2015 at 5:33 pm
Birgit,
Thank you! You got the sun day!! I figured I’d sneak it in and see what happens.
October 6, 2015 at 11:47 pm
Sunday is the first day of the week and Christians changed the Sabbath from Saturday in an anti Semitic move in the first century. The calendars still have Saturday as the seventh day of the week which is the original day of rest. The Muslim day of rest is Friday because Saturday and Sunday were already taken and who wants to rest on Monday. Today Sunday is just another work day for many people and this time of year it’s the day of pro football along with Thursday nights.
When I was a kid the blue laws prevented stores from opening on Sunday in an attempt to encourage church attendance. In the 50s my dad bowled on Sunday mornings in a league organized by the Jewish Community Center. Lane time was easy to get on Sunday morning.
October 7, 2015 at 7:04 pm
Bob,
I think on Friday Muslims are also supposed to pray in the mosque. It is a day of rest mostly in Muslim countries, not so much here, of course.
Hasn’t Sunday been the day of pro football for ever? I seem to remember my dad watching his team, the Giants. That was, of course, before the AFL and the Pats.
I still think stores shouldn’t be opened o Sunday. This state held on a long time then gradually the law changed. The first step was that for the four Sundays before Christmas stores could open at noon. Once the food gates had opened, everything changed.