When I was a kid, Sundays were my favorite day. I knew I had to go back to school on Monday and I dreaded it like any other kid. But there's something about Sundays that I love even to this day. So what if I have to go to class the next day? At least I will always have the calm of a good Sunday.
Waking up on a Sunday morning has a different feeling than waking up on any other day. The world feels calm, as if the craziness no longer exists for a moment. Most people are at home enjoying their day off before their next crazy week starts. As a kid, I can remember my father making pancakes or waffles and the way the smell of the bacon was my cue to get out of bed.To this day, the smell of bacon will still force me out of bed.
Most Sundays, when I was a kid, we spent the majority of the day at either of my grandparents' houses. The whole family would get together for pasta and meatballs, and we would all have a blast. I would make one of many dessert recipes with my grandmother that I still make to this day. I can still see us in her kitchen mixing brownies or rolling the cookie dough. The whole family would stuff themselves with food in between watching football games or jumping in the pool. Then, after we could not eat anymore, we would all go home and get ready for the dreaded Monday.
As I got older, Sunday dinners became less frequent. Our family grew and changed leading to fewer Sunday dinners. It became harder to get everyone together because someone had a baseball game or homework or whatever else our busy lives had going on. We all began leaving dinner earlier and earlier because we just didn't have the time to relax with each other. One thing is for sure, the food and how much we ate never changed. If anything, we just ate more.
I now spend my Sundays working, longing for the Sundays when I was a kid. One thing that gets me through work is knowing I'm going home to Sunday dinner because through all the craziness, my father still makes sure we have a pasta dinner. I constantly wish I could have those peaceful Sunday mornings back where I forgot the troubles of the world. I wish I could wake up to the smell of bacon cooking. I wish I could bank on the fact that the whole family would be together again come next Sunday for dinner.
Not having those guaranteed Sundays has taught me many things. It has taught me to appreciate those memories because I will never forget the greatness of a Sunday when I was a kid. It has taught me that families change and life continues. It has taught me values that I want to be instilled in my own family in the future. Most importantly, I have learned the importance of a good Sunday and seen the impact that it has had on my life.
So as I go to work every Sunday morning, I think about the peacefulness of a Sunday and remember that it's a good day. It's not the same as being a kid, but it's still Sunday.
