A quick Google® revealed that Labor Day evolved from parades held in the 1880s in New York City by the Knights of Columbus to honor the working class. These parades were held on the first Monday in September; and, from this beginning, over a hundred years ago, the national holiday we celebrate was born.
Today Labor Day has come to signify more than a pause from laboring. Now it’s also the unofficial end of the summer season. Families gather for that final fling, just as ours did for the past three days.
Both Earl’s side and mine spent approximately forty-eight hours together at Portage Point Inn in Onekama, Michigan, setting work aside to be together, to eat and drink and remember. Earl’s daughter and son and Portage Point Inn go way back and the rest of us came along to learn why.
The weather, which can be capricious, gave her best. The lodge itself at PPI apparently hadn’t changed all that much since the days when Earl first brought his family there. The sunrises were beautiful, the waters were clear, and the atmosphere was incredibly relaxing. But most of all, the thirteen adults and one baby were all out of their natural habitats, leaving computers and DVDs and jobs and other responsibilities behind. This put the emphasis on being, instead of doing. On relaxing instead of racing around. So, while we were together enjoying each other’s company, we also celebrated Labor Day in its original intent.
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