Happy Labor Day

Today is Labor Day.  I wasn’t going to do anything special on the blog this weekend in celebration of the holiday until my granddaughter made me reflect on it.  Upon learning that her father and mother were not going to work today because it was a holiday, she asked me, “What kind of holiday is that?”  Good question!  Wikipedia has this to say about Labor Day:

Labor Day in the United States is a public holiday celebrated on the first Monday in September.  It honors the American labor movement and the contributions that workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of the country.  It is the Monday of the long weekend known as Labor Day Weekend and it is considered the unofficial end of summer.  The holiday is also a federal holiday.

So what does Labor Day mean to you?  Does it signify the last day of summer, a welcome day off from work/school, or that white clothes are out, and sales are in?  Or does it just herald the upcoming very busy holiday season.  I know I'm already thinking and looking ahead to Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.  

But take a minute and reflect on just what today signifies.  Labor Day is a day set aside to pay tribute to working men and women. It has been celebrated as a national holiday in the United States and Canada since 1894.

Today is Labor Day...a time for honoring working people. It is also a time to celebrate the accomplishments of the workers, activists, and organizers who fought for organized labor, including such concepts that we know today - the 40-hour work week, occupational safety, minimum wage law, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid (yes, even Obamacare) and affordable housing.

So let's appreciate and honor all those involved on Labor Day...

Happy Labor Day!