America’s Celebration of Labor Day
Traditionally, the first Monday of September has been the day set aside to honor the American worker by way of a holiday. The first Labor Day was celebrated on September 5, 1882 in New York City, and later spread to other cities and then, nationwide. Although the name of the person who actually founded the holiday has been disputed, there is no doubt that the celebration is a unique one.
The day usually represents the last blast of summer. From now on, nights will be cooler, children will be back in school, and the “lazy, hazy” days of our hottest season of the year will be but a memory.
This country was built on a base of determination and hard work. How fitting a tribute it is to honor the history of labor and to set aside time to think of the individuals in our own families, and beyond our own circles, who filled and continue to perform so many roles and provide for the needs of so many others.
When I think of the term “labor,” certain images come to mind. I think of the Chinese and Irish workers who built the transcontinental railroad. I recall fishermen sailing off into dangerous waters and sudden storms off the New England coast. I think of people who work on high scaffolds, washing windows in high rise buildings, or even constructing the buildings themselves. I ponder the work of doctors, struggling against all odds to save a heart patient, or the victim of multiple injuries.
Oh yes, to be sure, there are many people in our lives about whose work we can be thankful on this Labor Day…from the migrant workers in the fields and orchards, harvesting crops, to the musicians who help us to keep a song in our hearts; from the mothers (or fathers) who cook food for the family, to the museum directors who work so hard to keep history alive.
We all have our part in keeping America strong. We all have a “place in the choir.” For now, let’s take a day of rest, or even a long weekend of rest and relaxation. There is a time to work and a time to play. For just a little while, the “work” can wait.
Patricia
