Sunday Evening

As days go, Sunday evening is much like any other evening, unless you’re in our house. It really starts at about 7 am as we get some breakfast, sit and chat, and begin to discuss who should shower first and get ready to head off to Church. I usually shower right after I get up so I can eat and wake up before heading out. The drive to Church takes about ten minutes and we always find ourselves laughing about something ridiculous as we ride and asking whether there is anyone else that enjoys life as much as we do. We park, join arms and walk into Church saying I love you at which point I get ready to greet people and she runs around helping out wherever she can. I love greeting people, welcoming them, and chatting a bit. I hear how things are going, give generous hugs from my heart, and look forward to sitting with my love as Worship begins. At the passing of the peace, I work at being open to receiving as well as giving that to each person in the Congregation, and then settle in to listening and hearing what the readings and preaching will say to me and praying with everyone around me for individual peace, and peace among all humans. I pray for many other things and for many people as well.

Today we heard about the Good Samaritan. I’ve heard the story many times, and each time I hear it I get more upset about how we humans seem to spend more time being the people who walk on by, myself included. I also find that as I hear the story each time, I am more and more committed to making a difference in the world around me.  Today I was even a little proud of myself for finally getting involved with a group that is working at bringing different religious, cultural, racial, ethnic, and other human groups together. It took me 67 years to do this, but the important thing is, I did it. I know I’m on the right path, with the right people.

Following Worship, at fellowship, I was busy with things and not as present to people as I wanted to be because I was conscious of the fact that I needed to get home. Someone was coming by to pick up something we were giving away, so I was selling Bingo tickets, drinking coffee, being as present as I could be to someone who was updating me on a situation we had talked about a couple of weeks before, and, looking at the clock.

Then we headed home, discussing Worship and what we wanted to get packed today. The man came to pick up what we said we would give him and he was here for almost an hour. He talked about his home country of Ukraine, his life in America, his failed marriage, what he has learned in his 32 years, his job, the American work ethic, his love of America, what he learned from his grandparents, and the importance of his parents and what they taught him. He talked non-stop. It was very evident that he does not have someone to talk with very often. When he left he thanked us. He was a beautiful man that we only met a week ago when he came to give us a bid on moving. We didn’t even hire him and the company he works for, but he didn’t care, he just connected with us. It was one of those unexpected gifts we all get once in a while.

We finally had lunch, talked, played some word games and before we knew it we both fell asleep. Now it is evening and the cats surround us, we are getting ready for dinner, we won’t get any packing done, and our ritual Sunday evening is continuing. We will sit and chat, laugh, listen to lovely music, and reflect on all that we learned today. We will talk about getting to bed early and probably get there late. We will try to sing a song that we know the harmony to without dissolving into laughter and end the evening by saying I love you.

I love Sunday evening, even if it does take all day.   -Chris