There are actually a number of reasons that I love Sundays, but I’ll get to that in a moment.  The sad thing to me is that Sunday seems to be changing.  If we aren’t careful, our Sunday traditions in America are going to be lost forever.  For some, I think they already are.

Traditional Sunday activities seem to be giving way to consumerism, television and even work.  This saddens me.  Sunday is as American as apple pie.  America, let’s cling to our Sunday traditions before they fade away!

21 Traditional Things I Love About Sunday in America

Call me sentimental, but Sunday traditions in America need to be held onto for dear life!  We need to continue to pass these things down to our children and our children’s children.

“A love for tradition has never weakened a nation, indeed it has strengthened nations in their hour of peril”
~ Winston Churchill

Most businesses used to be closed on Sunday to give Americans a day to rest, recoup and participate in traditional activities.  Of course, now the lure of the almighty dollar has a growing number of people working on Sunday.  This robs people of family and leisure time. 

Also, I think losing our Sunday traditions contributes to the deterioration of our society and culture.  Heck, some of us even go to church on Saturday evenings now!  I’ll admit I’m guilty of this one.

In essence, many of us have already forgotten the traditions that made Sunday so special.  Let me remind you of a few things in a hope that it will encourage you, America, to revive some of the traditional Sunday behavior I love and long for.

Here are 21 things I love about Sunday:

1.  The complete lack of urgency that is unique to Sunday.

2.  Time spent reflecting on how to be a better person after church services.

3.  The sense of unity that comes from being together with your family.

4.  Reading a good, old-fashioned newspaper.  These will be a thing of the past before long.

5.  Stuffing myself on Sunday dinner with all the fixin’s at grandma’s house.

6.  Feeling the wind on my face during a Sunday drive to nowhere in particular.

7.  Sleeping in as late as I want to and laying lazily in bed even after I’ve woke up.

8.  Taking a long. lazy nap on the couch to avoid the afternoon heat.

9.  Sitting in a lawn chair and drinking ice-cold sweet tea under a shade tree.

10.  Playing catch out in the yard with my brother.

11.  The sound of my mom’s favorite music wafting out the windows of the house.

12.  A family picnic by the lake with a red-checked table cloth.

13.  Waking up to the smell of fresh coffee and bacon frying on the stove.

14.  Having time as a family to play board games together at the kitchen table.

15.  Stopping for a treat at the convenience store on our way home from church.

16.  Watching an old movie on T.V. from beginning to end.

17.  Going for a long, slow walk and having time to appreciate the beauty of nature.

18.  Dad was always less busy on Sundays than any other day of the week.

19.  Two great holidays, Easter and Mother’s Day, fall on Sunday.

20.  Hearing my elders tell stories from days gone by in my living room.

21.  Looking forward to the next Sunday to do it all over again!

Preserve these traditions in America to save our way of life!

“Sunday is the golden clasp that binds together the volume of the week”
~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Sunday truly is a golden day.  If we let the traditions that make it unique slip through our fingers, then it will become meaningless.  I’d hate to think that my kids or grandchildren might miss out on all the special memories that I have from the awesome Sunday traditions that I grew up with.  I’ll fight to keep Sunday special!

What Sunday traditions do you love?

Photo by bensonkua

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.  ~The Declaration of Independence

I firmly believe the United States of America is a great country.  There is a lot of negativity going around these days about the economy, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, big oil companies and our government.  However, since this weekend we celebrate the birth of our nation, I thought it was fitting to remind everyone just how great it is here in the U.S.  It is easy to get down on how things are going if we listen frequently to the news media, but we need to remember the circumstances we face do not make the country.  It is “We the people”. 

The reasons above all reasons that America is great!

Here’s the preamble to our Constitution:

We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
~ U.S. Constitution

All that really is America

Notice again that it starts out, “We the people”, WE are this country.  Therefore, I have a complete and total conviction that this is a great country.  Look at how we came together after 9/11.  Look at how our soldiers have served so selflessly in Iraq and Afghanistan.  These guys and gals are all 100% volunteers!  Look at how we always come to the aid of other nations when they suffer disasters despite the disasters we are dealing with right here at home.  We have a lot to be proud of in America!

All that America has contributed to humanity.

Look at all we have contributed to science, medicine, and the general welfare of humanity over the last 100 years!  Look who invented the car, the airplane, the telephone, the light bulb, the computer, the camera, the Internet, the refrigerator, the defibrillator, numerous vaccines, the cardiac pacemaker, and last, but not least, Viagra!  Is this a great country or what!?!  This just scratches the surface on all that we have contributed to the betterment of the world.  All these things are now enjoyed the world over and it was a result of the hard work and ingenuity of “We the people”.

All that America has survived.

You and I are what makes America great!  It is the spirit of the American people.  We are victors in every area of life.  We have suffered great wars, depressions, recessions, terrorism, communism, assassinations, diseases, floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, scandals, and Jimmy Carter!  There is nothing that can stop the great people of this country.  We are survivors.  We press on with grit, determination, and a MacGyver-like ability to solve any problem.

Do not go on doubting America!

Why then do so many people doubt that we will defeat al-Qaeda and the Taliban?  Why do they doubt that we will solve our dependency on foreign oil with new innovations?  Why do they worry themselves sick about the economy?  Why don’t they trust their own ingenuity and that of their fellow Americans?  After all, we have a proven track record of success.  We have won difficult wars in the past.  We have solved some incredibly tough problems.  We have endured crises that others have not.  America has been tested time and again.  There should be no doubt in the tenacity of our people!

Stop believing that every other nation is smarter than we are and that they have their act together better than we do.  This is simply not true.  I’m not denying that we have issues to deal with, but I trust that we will rise to the occasion.  We always have and there is no reason to believe we won’t now.  We are the heirs of a great nation.  We still have the blood of our forefathers running through our veins. 

We are not quitters or cowards!  We are the likes of Samuel Jackson, Paul Revere, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Teddy Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, Douglas MacArthur, Neil Armstrong, Henry Ford, Martin Luther King, Jr., Albert Einstein, and Thomas Edison.  We are brave, smart, determined, honorable, and a little rebellious.  We will fight to the end for what is right.  We are the American people and we are what is great about America!

Celebrate all that is great about America.

This 4th of July celebrate all that is great about the U.S.A.  Follow the links above and read some of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.  Remind yourself of what it means to be an American.  Remember all those that have gone before us and that have paid an enormous price for all that we enjoy today.  Resolve to do the same for our children now.  It is not time to give up or to give in.  It is time to make yourself useful.  We can continue to carry on the tradition of greatness in America.  I have complete faith in you to do so because you are an American!

Have a happy 4th of July!  Please leave me a comment and let me know your thoughts on why America is great.

I hope you will Stumble and Digg this using the links below so that others might be reminded why America is great!

Photos courtesy of Matt McGee and pingnews.com and dbking and Dramatic

I am trying to learn from the mistakes of others in this area.  I intensely pursue success financially and professionally.  However, I also seek significance in my life.  Today, I thought I’d share seven ways I strive to make my life more fulfilling.

1. Living Intentionally.  I make a plan for how I want to invest my life.  If I don’t have a chosen destination with a mapped out route to follow, then I get lost.  This is really the foundation I use to make sure I prioritize those things that truly add meaning to my life.
   

   “The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” ~Stephen R. Covey

2. Creating Balance.  I have to work diligently to create balance between work and home.  This is not always easy.  It often seems that these two areas of my life are diametrically opposed.  However, I believe it is possible to be successful in both places.  It just takes effort.  We have all seen those that are workaholics and in the process sacrifice their families.  The result is usually disastrous.  I believe that my wife and children need me in order for them to achieve their greatest potential in life and just as importantly, I need them.  I can only achieve my greatest successes with their love and support.
3. Being Grateful.  According to U.S. Census data in 2006, the median income in this country was over $48,000 per year.  Worldwide this figure is less than $8,000!  I am rich!  In addition, I have a lot of other things to be grateful for in the United States.  I have safety, security and more than enough food to eat.  It is easy to watch the evening news and get depressed with talks of recession, war, and crime.  It is also easy to start envying what other people have that I don’t.  However, this just steals my joy.  I try to focus on what I do have and exercise my gratefulness.
4. Spending Quality Time.  I try to spend quality time with my wife and friends.  I am getting ready to go away on vacation with my wife for a week.  We are leaving the kids with family and just the two of us are getting away together.  We try to do this once a year.  I have found that this does wonders for our marriage.  It also does wonders for me!
5. Giving Time to Children.  I get a kick out of spending time with my children.  They see things that I don’t.  They are full of joy and wonder towards the world.  When I spend time with them, some of their enthusiasm  and creativity rubs off on me.  I believe that there is no better way for me to invest my time.  They need me and I need them.  When I want a good laugh, I don’t search for a sitcom, I go find my children because they can always deliver in this area.
6. Treating Others Like I Want to be Treated.  I try to live by the Golden Rule.  It is a simple moral compass.  It works in every area of my life.  I have found that if you treat everyone with courtesy and respect, you will go farther and be happier in life.
7. Exercising My Faith.  My faith is an essential piece of who I am.  Attending weekly services is a vital part of keeping myself grounded.  It is a positive input into my life and reminds me to do all of the things I have listed above.

These seven things make my life more fulfilling.  I count them as the priorities in my life.  They enrich my heart and refresh me.  They are the well I draw upon for the motivation and drive I need to succeed in the rest of my life.  What do you do to create meaning and fulfillment in your life?  Leave me a comment and let me know.

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