Mother’s Day is a well-deserved tribute to mothers. Yesterday was a pretty good day for a grandpa as well. The Green Team, of which I am a participant, led worship at our church in the morning. There was a lot of music, including a piece by our bell choir. I’ve enjoyed ringing bells since I retired. I had a role in planning the service and was delighted with the involvement and leadership of a team of lay people. Visiting with people after worship, I heard about the plans for the celebration of several families. I commented that we were having our family meal in the evening. Our children were used to not having big dinners at noon on Sundays with both parents being clergy.

After lunch, we had time for a walk, and I took a ride on my bike. It was a beautiful day, and I rode through the state park near our home, the busiest I have seen this year. We live in a tourist area affected by the trade war. Local businesses report drops in customers and revenue approaching 50% compared to last year. The park has been relatively quiet. Yesterday, however, it was full of people. Based on the license plates in the parking lots, there weren’t many Canadian families, but folks from Washington had turned out for picnics on the beach, clamming, kite flying, frisbee throwing, and relaxing.

I rode my bicycle past a family group walking with two members using walkers. It isn’t unusual to see individuals with walkers as the area is flat and the terrain is easy for those with mobility challenges. However, this group caught my eye because two women of different ages were using walkers. They might have been a mother and daughter, an aunt and niece, or just two friends. It brought a smile to my face to see that they were out enjoying the spring weather with family who weren’t in too much of a rush, so they could walk at a pace that was comfortable to everyone.

A small general store at the edge of the park caters to the campgrounds in the area. I stopped by on my way home and picked up some ice cream for our dinner. Our grandson is recovering from a tonsillectomy, and we wanted to ensure we had plenty of ice cream.

Dinner was simple to prepare. Susan baked a cake and gathered supplies so our granddaughters could participate in decorating. I roasted a couple of fresh fish fillets we had picked up the day before. I boiled and mashed potatoes and warmed up some baked macaroni and cheese. Susan made a green salad, and we were ready to eat. After dinner, I did the dishes while the girls decorated a chocolate cake with powdered sugar and fresh strawberries. Our strawberries have green berries developing, but aren’t ripe yet. We had bought a flat of strawberries at a fruit stand near our home.

One of the best treats of the day for me was watching our son out in the yard playing with his kids. They have a busy life with two working parents, big gardens to tend, chickens, and cows that need care. There aren’t a lot of opportunities for our son and his wife to relax. While she enjoyed a phone call with her grandmother, he was stretched out on the grass with his kids crawling all over him. It so reminded me of my father.

My father worked long hours running multiple businesses, and Sundays were his relaxing day. He often would stretch out on the floor in the living room or outside on the lawn. We had a lot of kids in our family, and there were often extras visiting. He let the little ones crawl over him and would gently wrestle with them. When I became a father, we had only two children, and while I enjoyed playing with them, our family times were quieter and more subdued. Our son has four children. After the girls finished decorating the cake, they joined the fun outdoors. After a while, the activities moved to the driveway and front yard, and the sidewalk chalk came out. We have the fanciest decorated driveway in our neighborhood today. It will all disappear in the next rain shower, but it is a reminder of a day of family relaxation and fun for a little while.

It was how I imagine God must sometimes feel about humans. One of the early traditions of our faith is Sabbath. One day each week is set aside for rest and relaxation. Work is tempered by a day off. The schedule is light, and people have time to enjoy one another. Just watching our family temporarily freed from deadlines and chores is a delight that reflects the joy of the creator. I looked at my family and said to myself, “It is good,” hearing the words from the stories in Genesis.

I was blessed with meaningful work and don’t regret the long days and short nights of my active career. I was blessed to work with good people and to serve alongside talented and dedicated colleagues. Hard work has been passed down for generations in our family. My parents were up while we were all sleeping, doing bookwork for the business and preparing for a day of busy family activities. When our children were little, I stayed up beyond their bedtimes and rose before they got up. Our children do the same with their families. There are always chores to be done and work to be accomplished. But occasionally, there is an opportunity to pause—a few moments to sit down or lie in the grass. Eyes may close for a few minutes, knowing that everyone is safe. Work remains. There will be problems to solve, meetings to attend, and concerns to address all week long. But for a little while, the chores can be set aside and we can sit and enjoy being together. Indeed, it is good.