Happy Sunday! by Dorothy Courtis
Long ago, when I was young, Sunday was a strange day. In Calvinist northern Scotland, everything was shut - except the church. And the two ice cream shops. (They were owned by Italians who were Roman Catholics and apparently did things differently so that was all right. Actually a lot more than all right, especially in the summer!) But there were rules for us about what you could do on a Sunday. Mainly what you couldn't do. Like cut your nails. If you did, you were inviting the Devil to be in charge for the rest of the week! We were allowed to read books and go for walks. But nothing more strenuous. I recall the local newspaper covering the scandal when one of the younger ministers in town was seen playing football with his young son on a Sunday afternoon! The shock and horror that this outrage produced was... Well, it was of its time. I wonder what those folk would make of the Sundays we find ourselves in nowadays. I actually enjoyed the peacefulness of a traditional Scottish Sund...