Labor Day Weekend
Labor Day marks the end of summer. For most of us it’s just a 3 day weekend and a last chance to eat some hamburgers off the grill. The real meaning of Labor Day goes much deeper than barbeque.
The first Monday of September was made a holiday to celebrate the American worker and his contributions to society. You can read more about the holiday here.
Our Community
When I went to the gas station today I talked with a lady who works there. I ask her how she was doing and she shook her head sadly. “I’m struggling,” she said. “I’ve worked here 7 years and I’m not making ends meet. They keep me at 29 hours so they don’t have to pay me full time.”
Years ago I worked at a GED center and the other day I saw a former student. I asked him if he had ever received his GED. “No, I didn’t,” he said. “I’d give anything if I had stayed in school and finished. Just about every job I apply for won’t hire me because I don’t have a GED.”
Jeff (not his real name) dropped out 3 months before he graduated from high school. His two younger sisters dropped out as well and so did their father when he was a teenager.
I asked Jeff why he didn’t go back and try to get his GED again. He sighed, “Because I have 4 kids and bills to pay. I just don’t have the time or the energy to do it.”
The Blessing of Work
This Labor Day weekend while you are eating your hot dog or hamburger, give some thought to the American worker who is struggling. There are millions of them like Jeff and the lady at the gas station who are doing there best to hold their families together under very difficult circumstances.
Have a great Labor Day weekend and if you have a good job and you are physically able to work, be thankful. There are many who wish they were in your shoes.
“Before the reward there must be labor. You plant before you harvest. You sow in tears before you reap joy.” Ralph Ransom
Thanks, so much!
What a wonderful post and thanks for sharing it with us.
Thank you for writing Cindy and I agree with you!
I am an erased grandmother. My two eldest grandchildren have been brainwashed by their custodial parent for about 5 years now. They are actually both over 18 now but still live with him and he controls them by “buying” them. My daughter was the primary parent in the marriage until the broken down divorce/custody court system allowed them to live with their narcissistic father so they could stay in their school with their friends instead of living with their loving, nurturing, intelligent mother. Her only crime was wanting to get herself and her children out of the narcissistic marriage before more emotional harm was done. Both parents have remarried but he remains on a revenge-driven path to hurt my daughter by using the kids to hate her. Because I’m her mother, he has convinced them anyone on the maternal side is evil…I could go on and on about this heartbreaking situation but at the end of the day, I miss them very much.
Thanks, Teresa, for this reminder about Labor Day! And the many Americans who are struggling. We need to do more to help others in our country! Hope you have a Happy Labor Day—AND a delicious barbecue! 😉