Sundays…More Than Just Church

Sundays in my childhood always meant church—at least during fall, winter, and spring. Summer was different. I like to think Jesus understood the shortness and importance of Wisconsin summers and gave families a pass. But once the school year started, Sundays were all about itchy dresses, stiff shoes, and classrooms that smelled faintly of paste and crayons.

Mom would usually drop me off at the Sunday School wing at 9:15, still in her robe and slippers, and then head back home. Class lasted an hour. I don’t remember much about the actual lessons, but I do remember waiting by the big window overlooking the parking lot. More often than not, I was still standing there when the 10:45 classes began. Eventually, Mom would roll in, still wearing her pajamas, and I’d dash out to the car, dutifully educated for another week in the ways of Lutheranism.

Sometimes, when Mom and Dad both attended the church service while Michelle and I went to class, the day ended on a sweeter note. We’d head to friends’ houses, but first Dad and I would swing by the grocery store for the big frosted donuts. Vanilla long johns were my weakness. While the grown-ups lingered over coffee at the kitchen table, us kids ran wild through the house, powered by sugar and freedom.

This rhythm repeated itself on Wednesday nights during catechism in sixth and seventh grade. Dad came with me, Jackie brought her two oldest, and after class, we’d all gather at their house. The adults would sit and talk about church, Christianity, and the Bible. I’d perch on the counter, half-listening, and that’s where I picked up more than I ever did in class. The lessons themselves? Dry as dust.

For most of my childhood, Sundays meant church, obligation, and more waiting than I cared for. It wasn’t until my mid-twenties that Sundays finally loosened up and turned into coffee, donuts, and genuine free time. Only later, looking back at those endless waits by the window, did it occur to me: Mom wasn’t just “late.” Let’s just say she and Dad had their own Sunday ritual—one the Lutherans never covered in catechism.

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