Faith & Life Inspirational Message

Labor Day has come and gone.   For most of us, it is nothing more than a national holiday.   I must admit that I don’t give it much thought.   It falls into the category of secular holidays.   Unlike Christmas and Easter, Labor Day does not have roots in any religious tradition.   Of course, both Christmas and Easter have their origins in the Christian tradition.   And those two certainly have come to play a huge secular role in our nation’s life.   They both have economic impacts that have huge implications for businesses.   The same cannot quite be said for Labor Day, although every store I am aware of seems to have a Labor Day sale!            Personally, it is not very special for me.   When I was a kid growing up on a farm, it was a great time to have three straight days to be involved in the harvesting.   But I don’t have much to do with corn and beans anymore, except to eat them...

We anticipate another Labor Day for yet another year.   As holidays go, it is one of the least important for me.   Maybe it is because I grew up on a dairy farm, so Labor Day was pointless; we still milked the cows twice that day just like any other day!   But clearly, it is special in many ways for many people.   And I am always intrigued by the history of a special day.   Labor Day was declared a national holiday in 1894 by President Grover Cleveland.   The traditional day of celebration apparently was chosen by some unions in New York.   Since I have spent some time abroad, I know the traditional global day of celebrating labor is May 1.   Sometimes these international days of celebration can lead to political protest and disruptions.   It seems President Cleveland was concerned about that, so he wanted to avoid that May date.   So the first Monday in September was a safer alternative.   There are typical associations with ...