You must not work on Sunday, Sunday, Sunday

You must not work on Sunday because it is a sin.

But you can work on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,

Thursday, Friday, Saturday till Sunday comes again.

Sung to a melody with a 4-note range similar to “Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush.”

10 Things My Family Did or Did Not Do on Sundays

What we did . . .

  1. Went to church, always unless deathly ill
  2. Invited folks to a nice Sunday dinner after church – or were invited to home of relatives or friends. “Don’t look on turns” was a saying spoken readily from one hostess to the other but not strictly adhered to. Dinner served with fine china, crystal, best silver unless it was a picnic
  3. Drove in the Studebaker to Uncle Landis, Uncle Abe or Aunt Verna’s house – Didn’t call ahead, just appeared at the door – and they would do the same!
  4. Took a walk in the woods or across fields
  5. Nap, my mom in the bed, my dad in his chair
Daddy drying dishes - Only on Sundays after church!

Daddy drying dishes – Only on Sundays after church!

What we never did . . .

  1. Ate in a restaurant
  2. Went shopping
  3. Did the laundry
  4. Cleaned the house
  5. Mowed the lawn

Our neighbors, Paul and Edna Mumma, owned and operated the Clearview Diner along Route 230 between Elizabethtown and Mt. Joy, Pennsylvania. As members of the Church of the Brethren (an Anabaptist group similar to the Mennonites) the Mummas adhered to the closed-on-Sunday rule as well.

Clearview Postcard_front

Clearview Postcard_back_back

Nowadays most retail stores are open seven days a week. Banks and almost all businesses are accessible online even on Sundays. Yet there remain a few stores like Hobby Lobby and Chick-fil-A whose doors are locked on the Lord’s Day, the latter with soaring profits.

Chick-Fil_A_sign

Your thoughts please – a reminiscence or an opinion!

Coming next –  Ian’s Miracle Birth: The Million Dollar Baby