Lazy Sunday Afternoon

Lazy Sunday Afternoon

We are finally at home. Leaving a miserably bitter life, a deeply depressing marriage, and a large loveless house, for a new life, a happy single-parent family, and a small comfortable home, has given us freedom and joy. This happiness turned into true contentment one Sunday afternoon.

Swinging on the wooden front porch swing, on a sunny Sunday afternoon, I heard the echoing bells ring from the ominous, antiquated, church, which was catty-cornered from our home.

Cars were parking along the street as church members arrived for Sunday afternoon service. I was tickled as I watched the parade. A tall figure in a black suit began to strut from his car to the church steps, with a purposeful stride. I thought he must be a man with a position of some authority in the congregation. He had a smile on his face, showing his happiness at his mission for the day.

Next, an elderly man and woman parked across the street on the north side of the dark, grey building, with colored glass windows that make one feel inspired. The man, dressed in a blue suit and hat, walked over to his wife's car door and opened it for her. The gray haired woman stepped from the vehicle with a smile on her face as she looked into her husband's eyes. Oh, to be in love at their age would be a true blessing! The lady wore a long flowered dress that reminded me of spring, and a warm cardigan sweater. The couple walked arm in arm across the street, up the steps, and into the heavy wooden entry doors.

The young couple, which walked to church, was the complete opposite from the previous elderly couple. The man walked ten feet in front of his wife, acting like he was late. The wife, with a young child's hand in each of hers, walked as fast as the children's little legs could go, trying to keep up with the unhelpful man who looked over his shoulder at them, twice, to check up on their speed. He could learn the lesson from the elder man in the blue suit, that loving a woman means showing her respect and consideration!

Next to pull up to the east side of the church, across from the main entrance, were two women, both donning gray hairdos that looked nearly identical. They were each dressed in comfortable pants and blouses. I think as women age, many see the benefits of dressing for comfort, no longer in competition for the men's attention; they can live life so much more relaxed! Why do we women wait until an older age to learn that lesson?

A family composed of a father figure, a mother, and a teenage daughter proceeded across the street toward the meeting place. The daughter, acting like she was sick at her stomach, must have been trying to get out of attending the Sunday service. However, she was unsuccessful, as the mother yanked her hand away from her stomach, and thrust her toward the church steps. The teen looked disappointed, as the father smiled a knowing smile.

I thought that maybe one coming Sunday afternoon we would join the parade of church patrons in our sleepy little Midwest community.

The sun was still shinning, and the swing continued to drift, as the parade ended when the service began. My daughter missed the procession, but my heart was warm knowing she was safe and warm, sleeping the day away in her bedroom, which she decorated herself. We are finally at home.