5. Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy (or should this be number 4?).

Ah, our often forgotten 4th commandment, from Exodus 20:

8 "Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.

9 You have six days each week for your ordinary work,

10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the LORD your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you.

11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.

This past semester I read a book on the importance of keeping the Sabbath.  It really challenged me to consider the importance of setting one day a week apart.  I'm not sure exactly how this will play out for me this year, but I really want to try to not to any homework on the Sabbath in 2011.  This may mean working extra hard on all the other days of the week so that it is done by Sunday*, but I think the benefits will be numerous.  I hope so.  I also would like to try not to do too much shopping or eating out on Sundays....because what is the point of keeping the Sabbath if you make others work on Sunday?  Other than that, I still have yet to think through about how Sundays will work.  Church. Spending time with people.  Resting.  Going for a walk.  We'll see!

So often when you ask someone how their weekend was, the answer is, "Over too quickly....busy.....I wish I had a day to recover from the weekend.....etc etc etc"  Hopefully, for me, Sunday will be that day of recovery that I need to start the week out right!

*Sunday just so happens to be the day I'm picking to observe the Sabbath.  Also, in the dorms, Geneva doesn't allow people to do laundry on Sunday.  So I've got that going for me.