Ever since I moved to my small town, four years ago, the annual stock show has flummoxed me (a city girl). Many, many kids in our area raise livestock all year, then show and sell them the first weekend in January following New Year’s. This means that the school week following Christmas vacation is shortened to four days, so that kids can attend the stock show.
How sweet, you might say.
I say, another holiday? Already?
By the time our short two-week winter break ends, my kids are at each other’s throats. I am ready for a Sabbath week — alone! Instead, we get time off when none of us really want it. Maybe we should start showing animals just so we could be happy.
Some rests are forced. They don’t feel nearly as good as the ones we choose. I have hated the lack of choice involved with this particular break.
But this year, the stock show weekend was unexpectedly restful. Since our family wasn’t all together during the entire holiday break, it was nice to have a little more time. Not having a choice ended up being a nice surprise.
See. What do I know?
