In our religious faith, the first Sunday of every month is reserved for a special time of fasting and prayer we call Fast Sundays. Traditionally, the expectation is that we abstain from food and drink for 24 hours. Then the money that we would have spent on the food and drink would be donated to those less fortunate. We also spend that 24 hours, usually praying for a special purpose. The object is to help others while bringing us closer to God. At various times in my life, I have been better than others at following this.
This can be a difficult practice for children to appreciate and often parents find ways to ease their children into it.
In my family growing up, this “easing into it” took the form of no dessert on Sundays when we were fasting. Which, if you knew my family, you would know that this was a big sacrifice. What we were having for dessert was often figured out long before the main meal. We like our dessert.
I, like my own children now was not a fan of “Fast Sundays.” But I had an ace up my sleeve compared to my children now.
When I was young, we lived in a small town just 3 blocks away from my Grandparents.
A walk to my Grandparents took minutes. I walked there by myself all the time. But there was one afternoon a month you would for sure find me at my Grandparents. Every Fast Sunday. I’m not sure she knew that no dessert was the rule on Fast Sundays at our house. But Grandma didn’t believe in keeping us from dessert. Sometimes she even took us out for ice cream! Which, when this happened, I was always trying to hide. The ice cream shop was directly across the street from my home and my parents were sure to see we were out breaking the Sabbath by buying something. I always felt SO guilty when this happened. but the ice cream was SO good!
A recent taste of a lemon drop- my Grandfather’s favorite candy, and memories of my Grandmother’s favorite Butterbrickle ice cream brought the memories rushing back. Grandma could be depended on to always have something sweet on hand.
One day, I hope that fasting will come to be important to my children as it became to me when I tried fasting for a friend who was fighting for his life after a severe accident around their age.
But I also hope that as I get frustrated with their attitudes and complaining, that I’ll remember a younger version of me. The one who would ALWAYS make sure to Grandma’s and Grandpa’s house for dessert every Fast Sunday.
