On Sabbath and Hospitality and Friday Night Meatballs

I was reminded, in our discussion this past week, of a blog post I read a year or so ago. It was about a family that decided to host a Friday night gathering of friends in order to build community...and to unplug and rest...every Friday. It wasn't a religious thing, not a spiritual practice. But the author of the article certainly recognized that it was a reflection of spiritual and cultural traditions practiced by many around the world. I want to share the article because I believe that it is full of the sorts of practical tips that make Sabbath possible...as well as some lovely insight into how it changes us to just take a night off every week.

I could tell you about the article all.day.long. But, I'll share the link so that you can see for yourself: Friday Night Meatballs: How to Change Your Life with Pasta. 

And a sneak peak of one of my favorite paragraphs...

There's something about the mix of candlelight and comfort food (okay, and wine) that encourages people to relax and share their stories. I've always found hosting parties to be stressful, but Friday Night Meatballs has become a relaxing escape at the end of the week. In his book The Sabbath, rabbi and civil rights activist Abraham Heschel observes that "there is a realm of time where the goal is not to have but to be, not to own but to give, not to control but to share, not to subdue but to be in accord." This, he says, is the point of taking a day off for rest and reflection and the company of loved ones: it's when we manage to stop worrying about making a living that we start actually living.

That's it. You're going to have to read the rest yourself!