Labor-Free Day

When I was a kid I thought Labor Day was misnamed. It should have been called Labor-Free Day because I saw it as a day when you didn't have to work.

Of course I now know that Labor Day, a national holiday in the United States, carries that name because it's a day to honor the laboring masses. We've observed the first Monday in September as Labor Day since 1882 when the Central Labor Union of New York City established the holiday.

In 1894, Congress made it official by declaring Labor Day a federal holiday. Of course, the day has evolved from parades and speeches about the contributions of working men and women to a symbolic end to summer with bargain sales, backyard barbeques, and kids going back-to-school the next day.

Takeaway Truth

Honor the contributions of hardworking men and women in whatever way you choose and have a happy Labor Day.

(Also published on my other blog Joan Slings Words.

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