LABORING ON LABOR DAY

School sessions are back in and the routine of going to bed early just to rise early has finally taken hold. Children are noticing the diminishing daylight as they are tucked in bed at eight sharp(this by no means means they will go to sleep, it just means they are tucked in safe and sound.) The last word of the day is "Mom, do we have to work tomorrow like we did today?"

Did they say work? What do they mean work? They played from the minute they got home from school until it was time to have dinner and get in the bathtub. They must be counting the ten mile trek they took from the kitchen table to the sink as they carried their dirty dinner plate. Oh yes, it was up hill with snow drifts and sister even carried brother on her back. PLEASE! Give me a break! Did anyone break a nail? NO? Then it wasn't really work.

As I sat in a classroom watching the instructor hand out his instruction sheet for the new school year he made small talk with a few students as he walked from one end of the room to the other. One student asked about Labor Day and school. Under his breath he muttered "Labor Day? Who ever labors on Labor Day? It's a total free day for people to be more lazy than they normally are."

I quietly raised my hand and said "I beg your pardon. Labor is in the eye of the beholder." This brought a few giggles from the younger generation, but I had a point to make. My first child was born on Labor Day. I knew the real meaning of the word. How many "men" could truly know it? How many children can claim fame to being a true baby being born on "Labor Day"?

Oh, I'm not making light of the real purpose behind Labor Day, I only want add some family fun to it. This day has turned into a special day for all of us. Dad is always off from work for our daughter's birthday and she is always out of school on her birthday. I know, the date doesn't always fall on Labor Day, but it's the day we celebrate that she was born. We have made it a tradition to celebrate her birthday on this special day. We invite friends over and have a grand party because it's the last weekend of summer vacations for most families and we want to party with the best of them.

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