It’s more about just attending church, though. It’s a day for us to spend together with God in mind and a message to consider and absorb. A day I try very hard to have all of my “chores” done like grading papers or buying groceries and just spend it together. When I started to reflect on our revived priority of faith I realized I marked Sunday as not just an important day for worship, but for family.
You see, I am an only child and my parents are over 450 miles away. It has been like this since I journeyed off for college. I think they always held out hope that I would move closer to home after I graduated, but knew when I met Brett that I would be putting down roots in Texas.
There are certain things that my parents require no matter how old I am, and one of those things is “checking in.” When I would leave my college apartment to head home for a visit I had to call and let them know what time I left on the seven hour journey. And, when I left their house I had to call and let them know I had made it back safely all by myself. That rule still applies now when our family of four ventures that way as well.
Another important call always happens on Sunday. It is funny how things become ritual. Reflecting back on my college days, my out-on-my-own-with-my-first-real-job days, my newlywed days and today, there is a ritual that remains. That ritual is to call my parents every Sunday. I have been away for 16 years now and that phone call is so important for me to start the week right.
Dad and I usually chat about the “babies” which are their dogs and what trouble they have gotten into over the weekend. We also cover what is expected with the weather and what our work-week ahead looks like.
Mom and I cover all of the girly things like who’s had a baby, who got married and who she might have ran into that I went to school with and that they said “hi.”
I let them know what mischief our three dogs have been into and what the boys have going on be it a basketball game or a saxophone lesson.
Some Sundays we have more to chat about than others -- and the conversation often includes “got any plans to come in for a visit soon?” We always try to keep one on the calendar so we have a date to look forward to, but until then we have our Sunday rituals. What rituals have you developed with your family without even realizing it?
Makala Pollard is a Sr. Marketing Specialist at Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital who hopes to make a 450-mile trip to see her parents sometime soon.
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