30 Aug Labor Day – Celebrate, Rejuvenate, and then Give
Labor Day…the end of summer for some is celebrated on the first weekend in September with three days to relax and enjoy what honors the working man and woman. (For women it’s said to be the last official weekend to wear white.) On this holiday, we enjoy BBQs, boating, bicycling, and road trips. College-bound adults prepare for a new lifestyle, while some younger students wish that school would never start.
Labor Day, which began in the 19th century, was declared a federal holiday in the U.S. in 1894. Many offices and federal buildings are closed on this Monday – the actual holiday. Many employees celebrate a long weekend off, spending it with family, and friends keeping in tune with parades, picnics, etc.
On this holiday many of us turn our thoughts to how our country was started and the work that was put into it, with many just trying to beat the traffic home. This is an important holiday to explain to our children, with the thought of responsibility at the forefront. Supporting themselves as well as a family is a vital cog in the wheel that makes our country go. Becoming self-sufficient, and supporting perhaps, even those who cannot work helps the support system that keeps this country together.
Upon reveling, think…is there someone whom you could be helping? Is there time in your busy schedule to volunteer in your neighborhood, shelter, church, or city? The labor movement does not only affect those with a paycheck. We are all in this together and need to help support others whichever way that we can. Give of your time, give of your talents, give of your labor. There may be no day off from this, however, the overwhelming feeling of kindness toward our neighbor will be one to celebrate this Labor Day and beyond.