When I moved to Minnesota nearly 19 years ago, I anticipated that there would be an element of culture shock.  I expected to learn things from my new state of residence and that adjustments to things like winter would take some time. What I did not expect was to be so encouraged by a traditional lifestyle form that would change my view on many things and give me a great sense of belonging for certain aspects of my new life.

One of those things is Sunday afternoons, and as I was preparing for our weekly gathering yesterday I was reminded  of how much I truly love dinner on Sunday. Now you are probably thinking, what are you talking about.  You see, I grew up in California in a loving healthy family, but even with that, we did not have a traditional dinner on Sunday after church.  Soon after accepting Christ as my savior, marrying the man of my dreams and moving to the frozen tundra, I became exposed to “Dinner on Sunday”.

It generally involves family and friends, mountains of  food, laughter, love and long conversations about life.  It truly feeds my soul and allows me to serve others in the process.  And I realized yesterday that it is one of the things about midwestern culture that has become a deep part of who I am today.  I am so thankful that our house has become a place that people gather in for this tradition.  Moreover, the fact that my parents are now Minnesotans allows me to envelope them in this cultural tradition and share the richness of what it means to be surrounded by people you love.

I want to encourage you to find time for Sunday afternoons in your life.  Don’t worry about the house projects, the bills, the laundry,(it will all be there on Sunday night).  Instead commit to take a brief pause one afternoon a week and soak up the love of those you care about the most, oh and eat too!!