Monday, September 2, 2013

LABOR DAY

THEY WHO TREAD THE PATH OF LABOR

They who tread the path of labor follow where My feet have trod;
They who work without complaining, do the holy will of God;
Nevermore thou needest seek Me; I am with thee everywhere;
Raise the stone, and thou shalt find Me, clease the wood and I am there.

Where the many toil together, there am I among My own;
Where the tired workman sleepeth, there am I with him alone:
I, the Peace that passeth knowledge, dwell amid the daily strife;
I, the Bread of Heav'n am broken in the sacrement of life.

Every task, however simple, sets the soul that does it free;
Every deed of love and mercy; done to man is done to Me.
Nevermore thou needest seek Me; I am with thee everywhere;
Raise the stone, and thou shalt find Me; cleave the wood, and I am there.

LABOR DAY

Was it McGuire of Maguire? Either Peter McGuire or Matthew Maguire is the Creator of Labor Day.  Peter J. McGuire was an active labor organizer.  He was also general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and co-founder of the American Federation of Labor.  He was believed to be the first to suggest a day dedicated to American Workers and their accomplishments.  Matthew Maguire however, was secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York in 1882 and many believe that he proposed the holiday in 1882.

Always the first Monday in September.  Dedicated in honor of the worker, it is also appropriately called the "workingman's holiday".  The holiday is dedicated to you in respect and appreciation for the work you do in or outside of the home - union or non-union, big company, small company or government.  As long as you work or volunteer somewhere at something, this holiday is for you!

The first Labor Day was held in New York City on September 5, 1882 and was started by the Central Labor Union in New York City.  In 1884, it was moved to the first Monday in September where it is celebrated today.  Labor Day quickly became popular and one state after another voted it as a holiday.  On June 28, 1894, the US Congress voted it a national holiday.

Labor Day is also viewed as the official end of summer.  While the fall equinox is still a couple of weeks away, kids go back to school and summer vacations are over.  So this marks the end of the season.  Many people celebrate this weekend with one last picnic.  It is also the date that many close up the pool, and put away the boats.

ALWAYS FINISH

If a task is once begun,
Never leave it till it's done.
Be the labor great or small,
Do it well or not at all.

HAPPY LABOR DAY.




13 comments:

New York State Of Mind said...

Happy Labor Day Everyone,
Today is the day to pat yourself on the back for all the work you have done. You have done a good job.

Hope you enjoy this holiday.

Marilyn

Countryside Reflections said...

Happy Labor Day to you too Marilyn (and everyone). I hope you're having a great weekend.

Doreen

New York State Of Mind said...

Good Morning Doreen,
Happy Labor Day to you, too. Hope you are having a great weekend, too.

Marilyn

Vickie said...

I hope this has been a very nice weekend for both you and Pierre.

New York State Of Mind said...

Hi Vickie,
Hope it has been a nice weekend for you, Mabel and Henry.

Marilyn

trump said...

Our Labor weekend has been mostly filled with either clouds or rain for the most part, but for me I enjoyed it because I was off for an extra day which has been most welcomed.


Sadly we still have many folks who are still not working here in the USA so I count myself as one of the very lucky ones to have a job, and I'm proud of myself for not making a political statement regarding that on your blog Marilyn regarding the lack of jobs,lol.


Man that was a tough one for me, but I was able to somehow pull it off!

Richard

New York State Of Mind said...

Hi Richard,
We have sun right now, but it is suppose to rain here, today, too.

Sadly, there are many folks still looking for work, myself included.

You worked hard to get that job, but I knew you would get it. Take a pat on the back, you deserve it.

Marilyn

SueAnn said...

Beautiful post, Marilyn.

New York State Of Mind said...

Thank you, Sue Ann.

Marilyn

annie said...

Happy Labor Day, this was a lovely post!

trump said...

Thanks Marilyn and I think anyone working right now should maybe pat themselves on the back and be thankful to be just employed.

I just came back from a really nice classic car show in Berks county today, great scenery with mountains and corn fields as a back drop and really nice classic cars.

I'm trying to catch as many of these as I can before the season ends and it gets too cold to have them, and Berks is a very nice county to visit with even a few covered bridges as well!

Richard

New York State Of Mind said...

Hi Richard,
I agree with you. Jobs today are few and far between.

Can't wait to see your pictures. I, too, am getting pictures before it gets too cold. One of my favorites are covered bridges. Of course, I really like cars, too.

Marilyn

New York State Of Mind said...

Hello Annie,
Thank you for the compliments. Hope you had a great Labor Day.

Marilyn