Labor Day

This is Labor Day, celebrated with a three-day weekend in the U.S. I learned as a child that it was intended to recognize the importance of American workers, but that made no sense to me. A day off to honor working people? On the farm we worked just the same as every other day. (Well, that's not quite true. We didn't go to school, but back then school didn't start until after Labor Day, anyway.) So I think it would be nice to honor people who do work on Labor Day and most other holidays. Among them:

* Farmers, ranchers, dairymen, veterinarians and all who tend to animals' needs
* Police officers and other safety/law enforcement personnel
* Firefighters
* Nurses, doctors, lab technicians, and other hospital attendants including cooks and cleaning staff
* Military men and women
* Ambulance drivers and emergency medical technicians
* Disaster relief workers
* Hotel and motel employees
* Restaurateurs and their cooks and wait staff
* Service station and convenience store employees
* Transportation workers for airlines, railroads, shipping companies, and taxi services
* Movie theater attendants, along with workers at many other entertainment centers
* Trash pickup workers
* Retail store employees, including grocery stores
* Shelter and food service workers at sites which aid the needy
* Church staffs, when called upon

Let's hear it for the laborers who make holidays safer, happier, more fun, for the rest of us! [Insert loud clapping and cheering here]

P.S. And don't forget the mothers who are in labor, giving birth today!

MaryMartha