This Memorial Day weekend, I am especially grateful for the things that give me rest.

By rest I don’t mean sleep—though sleep is certainly a wonderful thing—so much as I mean the things that give me rest from the daily grind and unhealthy stress.

One of the reasons that I love this photo is that it shows a number of things that give me rest.

Dogs/Pets—Not only do dogs give us rest through the fun and companionship that they bring into our lives, they set a pretty darn good example of how to find it.

Just about anytime, anywhere—except when the 4^th of July fireworks are going off!—my buddy Caleb and most all other dogs have an uncanny ability to kick back and relax.

Sports—Being native Minnesotans, it’s fitting that the chairs my parents are relaxing on in this photo have the Minnesota Vikings and University of Minnesota Golden Gophers logos plastered across the back of them.

Not only do sports provide much in the way of fun, friendship, and better health for us as participants, they do much in the same way for us as spectators.

Books, crossword puzzles, Sudoku and the like—In this photo my Mother is most likely reading a book and my Father is most likely playing Sudoku, two of their favorite pastimes. Both are great ways to find rest by getting our minds off of our worries/problems.

Family—While there certainly are times when family can be a source of tension, there are many times when they can be a source of great comfort.

I certainly consider myself lucky to have family who have always been there for me when I need “rest” from my troubles and when I just want to “get away from it all” and be myself.

Gardens—While only the tall native grasses of my Mother’s wildflower garden are visible in this photo, it comprises much of the lake front at the family lake place.

Gardening gives my Mother and many others rest. The beauty that they take the time to cultivate gives us “rest” as well by giving us something beautiful to look at and be surrounded by.

Outdoor recreation—Docks to fish off of, jet skis to ride, and floating rafts to jump off of are just a few of the forms of outdoor recreation that give us rest.

Water—More than any other part of the great outdoors, it seems as though lakes, oceans, streams, and rivers give us rest. For many of us, they are where we go to get away from it all and enjoy some peace and quiet.

Gift of Rest—In all of these things I see gifts from God. Not only are they gifts in and of themselves in the much-needed rest that they provide, they speak to one of the greatest gifts that the Lord also blesses us with. Through his son, he invites us to “Come to me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

The great thing is, not only does the Lord offer us this rest, he offers it to us free of charge. All we have to is “Ask and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened.”

This Memorial Day and every day, I give thanks for all of the ways that the Lord gives us rest!

Freedom Fighters—This Memorial Day and every day, I also give thanks to all of those who have put their lives on the line in order to help ensure that we can continue to enjoy all of these various forms of freedom.

Traditionally this has meant our soldiers such as my father Tom, who served his country during the Korean War.

During our current battle with the COVID-10 pandemic, this also means our health-care providers, first responders, essential workers, and in one way or another all of us who are doing all we can to get through this struggle in the best way possible.

Here’s hoping that in doing so we continue to find and celebrate our hard-earned freedom to rest!