HAVE YOU GIVEN ANY THOUGHT ABOUT LABOR DAY?

      Our library will be closed for Labor Day, Monday, September 3rd, but we'll be open again on Tuesday the 4th, regular time of 8:30 a.m.
    When I came to work this morning, I asked several coworkers what they would be doing on Labor Day.
     Cray said she'd probably be babysitting her little grandson, Qaden, who is now four months old.
     Johnnie said she'd probably be cleaning house and that her husband would probably cook, while she cleaned house.  (That's a blessing in itself.)
     Ann said she was definitely going to take Friday, Saturday, and Monday to clean her home office, which is covered with her genealogy projects.
     Monique will be working the weekend at her second job, but her sister and husband will be visiting all weekend.  Luckily, Monique will be off on Labor Day and enjoying a cookout the evening before.
     Me, well, I'm going to be doing the same thing that Irene will be doing...just resting and piddling around at home.
     Of course, all of these activities made me check with one of my favorite sources, Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, to see what it had to say about Labor Day.
     We all know it's a federal holiday observed the first Monday in September.  But how many really know why.  
     Labor Day is supposed to pay tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers.  It's usually a time of parties and parades and athletic events. 
     Oregon was the first state to make it a holiday in 1887.  By the time it became a federal holiday in 1894, thirty states officially celebrated Labor Day.
     Wikipedia says, "The form for the celebration of Labor Day was outlined in the first proposal of the holiday: A street parade to exhibit to the public 'the strength and spirit of corps of the trade and labor organizations', followed by a festival for the workers and their families."
     Nowdays the holiday is often regarded as a day of rest and parties.  Speeches and political demonstrations are more low-key than the May 1 Labor Day celebrations in most countries.  Our Labor Day in the United States is also known as the symbolic end of summer, a time when high society once considered it the last day of the year to wear white or seersucker clothes.
     I wonder how far away we've come from celebrating the original thought of Labor Day.  Do we still think of the contributions and achievements of our American workers?  If so, how much?  And in what ways?
     Look in your local newspaper and see what your community will be doing.  And remember...our library will be closed during this time of acknowledgement to all who work to make our nation strong and free, whether they be in trade and labor organizations, or just out there working...just plain working.