There is beauty all around

In our home, I try to make the Sabbath a different kind of day. It doesn't always work as smoothly as I'd like, but the plan is that in our hours outside of church, we spend time as a family: playing together, holding Family Council, and maintaining some feeling of reverence and worship. There are the obvious no-no's for us, like attending birthday parties and going to amusement parks, or even running races or going out to dinner, but we don't have a long list of hard-fast rules. (Though I do work to steer us clear of TV and computer games.)


When I was growing up we didn't go outside on Sundays. I am less concerned about whether we are inside or outside and more concerned with what our activity is about and how it makes us feel.


This afternoon I enjoyed a rare nap whilst the children played pretty darn nicely. I'm pretty sure they involved Mr. Bloomers in some board games as well, but as I was in and out, I can't be sure.


This evening we took a drive to the Morton Arboretum. We skipped the playful Children's Garden and cruised slowly through the windy roads. On the lookout for the colors of fall, we munched an unconventional dinner of popcorn sprinkled with candy corns and M&M's with a side of raw carrots.

It was delightful.


After a full loop of the main route by car, we meandered around the main lake area on foot, checking out the imaginative scarecrows (Demi Leave-ato? and this lovely faceless one?) created by a number of Girl Scouts. (I'm not sure how our girls were left out of such fun. We may just have to create our own such work of art.)


The sunset was brilliant. I remarked to the children how much our Heavenly Father must love us to have blessed us with such a beautiful world and such gorgeous colors. I know there are hard things in our lives. Believe me, I know more than you might expect. But when I stop to see the beauty that is all around, I feel God's love. And that reminder is what the Sabbath day is all about.