​Blog 536 – 02.05.2017

Thank God It’s Sunday

I am aware that TGIF or Thank God It’s Friday is the more common expression but I have always preferred Saturdays even when I had to work half a day or all day. Saturday was the original day of rest, the Sabbath. And actually the Jews who originated the celebration start the rest day at sundown on Friday through sundown on Saturday. I think that comes from the creation story in Genesis where is says, the evening and the morning was the first day, the second day etc. So I guess the TGIF thing still holds true.

It is an interesting concept this day off or day of rest thing. All work and no play or rest does indeed make Jack or Jill a very dull boy or girl and also pretty tired. I think the Sabbath of the Jews got all bound up with rules and lost the flavor of the original intent. I said in a previous blog that I think all religions probably started out as a door but became a box. It is the nature of rules to restrict not to free or as Jesus said to the rules guys of his day, “The Sabbath was made for man not man for the Sabbath.” That Jesus had a way with words. I can almost hear him saying in those words, “Lighten up guys, relax, cool your jets, take a break, cut yourself and others some slack.” Don’t hear it? Well, as the old preacher said, “If you can’t say “Amen” say “I am the man.”

A boyhood friend that I recently reconnected with on Social Media asked me the other day if I was still preaching. I had to laugh for that was a lifetime ago for me when I thought I had all the answers. Boy, was I ever mistaken and so are you if you think you or anyone has it all figured out. I am still in Kindergarten but I know one thing – it is a lot more fun loving than judging, living than trying to tell everyone else how to live. That’s why if I could pick one day that could be everyday, I’d pick Saturday, what as kids we used to call “Cartoon day.” My beloved daughter Emily who departed this life at aged thirty two almost five years ago wrote and sang a song about the cartoons in her head and what a fine and lovely neighborhood that was.

It is a great gift to be able to turn off the soap operas, the crime dramas, the war movies in our minds and turn on the cartoons. One of my favorite movies, Who Framed Roger Rabbit (I especially love Roger’s wife – charming) blends the outer world and the cartoon world. Many people who view Sunday as also a day of rest used to love picking up the Sunday funnies and starting that day off with Peanuts, Blondie, Beetle Bailey, and the gang. I repeat often the Unitarian radio slogan I heard once, “Life is meant to be good.” It is also meant to be fun. It is good to be happy and to have fun everyday and when we do we are thankful for everyday. Thank God It’s Sunday.

Your friend and fellow traveler,
David White