Fast Sunday Football

This past Sunday, 2 March 2014, I ended up staying late and visiting with a friend, Joanne, in the church parking lot.  My husband had taken the rest of the children home in his car, but I had my 6 year old waiting with me.  He waited in the car for a little while, but got restless, and came to ask if he could play in the large green grassy church field right by where I was parked and visiting with Joanne.  I had no idea what he'd do on an empty field, but it was a warm winter day (of about 50 degrees! :) and the snow had finally all melted, so I encouraged him to go entertain himself, so I could keep visiting.

My friend and I finally parted ways, and I went to get little S to come get in the van, but with excitement he showed me a football someone had left on the field.  I made my way down the little steep of grassy hillside and decided to toss around the ball with him a few minutes.  I wanted to show him how to throw it, catch it, and kick it.  We don't actually own a football, so this was a good opportunity.  

Imagine it.  There I was a middle aged chubby woman, running around in my skirt and pointed heels!  I was running and catching the football, or clumsily kicking around the ball.   I also tried to teach him how to steady himself on slightly bent knee while he kicked the football with his other foot.  And just like in the charlie brown shows that I grew up watching, I kept letting go of the ball before he actually kicked it!! :P  I'm a great football coach! ;) 

He has a short attention span so he frequently wanted to change up our impromptu play time together.  So then, there we were, Mom and 6 year old son, facing each other, hand in hand, and spinning in circles until we were dizzy and falling over!!  And when he got tired out (Surprisingly!  That's an uncommon occurrence for him!) he laid on the ground to rest, and he had fun counting how many times I could throw the football high up into the air and catch it. (You can bet I successfully caught it every time! ;)  

I have little doubt it was a very crazy sight to any onlookers, but to my son and I, I KNOW it felt like a few sunny minutes in Heaven.  There was a happiness and joy that accompanied our time together.  I felt a certain exhilaration and love that is hard to explain.  

S didn't want to go home, because I'm sure he felt what I was feeling.  Very happy and loved. But, alas, we couldn't play forever--and besides I was "plum tuckered out"!  I played a little game of "Let's see who can spin all the way to the van without falling over."  He won!!  (And don't worry we left the ball where we found it. :)

I don't plan to make a rousing game of football a Sunday tradition, because it doesn't quite fall into my definition of Sabbath day observance, but because of the feeling of that experience I will work harder to have more effective family time with my children.  

I felt so thankful as drove home with my song.  I felt so truly thankful to have that little time alone to just enjoy him for who he is. These little ones grow up so fast and it's easy to fall prey to other distraction around us than our valuable time with family.  We need to relish the opportunities we have with them, while we can!

I hope you create special memories with your loved ones by sharing your time with them.  We not only learn to love by giving of ourselves, but we also help the receiver of our time to feel our love.

Christine

P.S.  A little more details about Fasting and Sundays from the Mormon viewpoint.

SABBATH:

Members of the "Mormon" church (The Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints.  Also known as LDS) believe in strict Sabbath observance.  The active members of our church try to avoid shopping on Sunday (except in special cases, such as getting medicine for a sick family member)or attending sporting events, plays, and other such recreational activities like boating and river rafting.

Sundays are a day we are encouraged to write letters, visit the sick and the needy, attend firesides, and refrain from work (I really like this one!! ;) , etc. How the day is spent by each family is determined by them--but the goal is to make it a day of peace, reverence, and to help refocus on the priorities of our lives.  See Exodus 20:8-11  (Old Testament)

This specific

Sabbath Day experience doesn't follow my standard tradition, but I wouldn't trade it for the world!!

• You can learn more about keeping the Sabbath day holy here at these scriptures: https://www.lds.org/scriptures/gs/sabbath-day

• Or at this easy to follow short lesson: https://www.lds.org/manual/gospel-principles/chapter-24-the-sabbath-day?lang=eng&query=sabbath+day

FASTING: 

We "Mormons" (The Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints) fast on the first Sunday of the month.  It's kind of like a day we come together as a family and unite in the power of a fast.  We can also fast on any day we need personal help, direction, or strength from God.  Sometimes as individual family units or groups of friends, we will fast over a crisis or special need that we are concerned about.

Those who want to participate join from wherever they are in the world, and while they give up 2 meals they also offer up special prayers to Heavenly Father for special blessings.  It's an amazing things, and miracles are seen, and unity felt from fasting.

My Miracle:

When I was around 18 my church ward fasted for me, and I was healed by the time I went into the hospital.  The surgeon thinking he would have to remove my ovary because of the tumor on it, found only a "straw-like foreign substance" in place of where the tumor had been.  Because of the power of that fast, I had miraculously been healed, and my ability to bear children was not removed.  How thankful I am for not only that miracle, but my 5 miracle babies that have since been born to me! 

• You can read more about fasting here: https://www.lds.org/manual/gospel-principles/chapter-25-fasting?lang=eng