"Well, uh, we won't have school. Daddy won't have to go to work. We will have a cook-out with family." I answered. "Ok, but why is there no school or no work for Daddy?" they persisted.
"Well, schools, banks, post offices, government offices...I guess...everyone needs a break before fall. It is on the calendar and has something to do about honoring all those who work hard to make America great!"
"You should google it, Mom, that's what you usually do!" they said.
Good grief, that was a lousy answer for a mom who was/is a teacher to give her students! So...I looked it up...and I was on the right track...now I have a little more information...and their response? "Oh, ok." as they ran out the door to play. Before you exert any extra effort researching for the inquiring minds that live at your house...but truly don't care as long as they get to ride their bikes...you can read it below!
Consider it my Happy Labor Day gift to you!
Each year, the end of summer is signified by the celebration of the Labor Day holiday on the first Monday in September. For most of us, this day is simply a day off from work and a great excuse to have a backyard barbeque. However, many people are not aware of the origins of this holiday and what it truly represents. So why do we celebrate Labor Day?
The holiday originated in 1882 as a result of the labor movement and was intended to be a day of rest to recognize the efforts of the average working man. While there is some disagreement as to who first proposed the idea of Labor Day, many historians typically credit a man named Peter J. McGuire – who was the general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a cofounder of the American Federation of Labor – as the man who first advocated for the holiday’s creation.
However, other historians in recent years have pointed to a machinist named Matthew Maguire as the man responsible for developing the holiday while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York. Regardless of the discrepancy as to who deserves the credit, it was ultimately the Central Labor Union that adopted a Labor Day proposal and appointed a committee to organize an official celebration on September 5, 1882 in New York City.
The first Monday in September was designated as the holiday because the day occurred halfway between Independence Day and Thanksgiving. This idea became popular with various labor unions and local governments around the country, and municipalities gradually came to adopt Labor Day as an official holiday before the notion gained popular support and developed into a national holiday.
The recognition of Labor Day as a national holiday for the working man came about as a result of a law signed by President Grover Cleveland. Although Cleveland was not a significant labor union supporter himself, he found the legislation enacting Labor Day as a national holiday to be a symbolic remedy for political damage he had suffered earlier that same year. During this time, he used federal troops to thwart an American Railway Union strike in Chicago, and as a result, 34 railroad workers were killed.
Labor Day was originally celebrated with large public demonstrations of workers banding together, usually in the form of rallies and parades in the streets. However, these large parades became impractical over the years as industrial centers developed. Regardless, the holiday is generally accepted with pride in recognition of the contributions that workers throughout America and Canada have made to the overall prosperity of the North American continent.
Thank you to the kind folks at Google.com who provide information at the touch of the keyboard! I am thankful that I now understand why it is on our calendar...and I won't be focusing on the original reason for celebrating it!!!
We will focus on the work that God wants us to do and do it with our might...for His glory!
