Saturday, August 31, 2013

Labor Day

This is Labor Day weekend.  Created to honor the working men and women of our nation and giving many an extra day off from their toil, it's become a long weekend; a getaway opportunity; a day to get things done around the house.  Whatever you are doing with your weekend, I hope it will be enjoyable.

I can't think about Labor Day without thinking of my late father.  He worked hard all of his life.  He grew up poor, picking up coal along the railroad tracks that ran past his childhood home in Stoneboro, PA.  He left home at a young age and eventually worked for the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camps during the depression.  WWII called and he served in the South Pacific.  When he returned from the war, Dad eventually got a job working at Packard Electric in Warren, Ohio.  It was a wiring harness supplier for General Motors, and after 47 years of laboring in the factory, Dad retired.  He enjoyed his retirement years until his death two years ago at the age of 89.

I think of Dad on Labor Day because of how hard he worked to provide for my mother and me.  I didn't appreciate it when I was growing up, but as the years went by I realized how much Dad sacrificed to make my life better than what he had when he was young.  He was a hard-working man who gave his all in many different ways.  I wish I could still spend time with him.  I miss him.

What am I going to do on this Labor Day weekend?  Well, for starters, I'm going to go to my son's house today (Saturday) and help him change out the power steering unit on his truck. I don't have a clue how long that will take, but if there is time left in the day I'll probably try to clean out our garage.  Tomorrow will be worship in the morning, and Jon and his girlfriend may come over tomorrow or Monday for a cookout - a family tradition.  I mostly want to spend the weekend with family.  With all the work all of us do, it's nice to shut down and be with those we love most. 

What are you doing this weekend?

2 comments:

  1. Wow Dave, you really have ahold of something here. Don't let go and expect a winning season

    Pope

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  2. Thanks, Pope. I received your text indicating your comment was for the baseball post. Thanks for keeping in touch by reading. And thank you for your encouraging comment. When it comes to the Church, I buy into the sports axiom: "Winning is everything. It's the only thing!"

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