Hey
Gang: My calendar says today is Labor
Day? What in the world is Labor
Day? In checking the archives, I found
that it was established in New York on September 4, 1882. The original holiday
was meant to handle a problem of long standing – namely people were in slavery
to their jobs. In reading the history of
Labor Day, one could title it the beginning of the labor movement in America.
But
for me personally it was not a day I looked forward to- my birthday happens to
be September 4 and, for most of my growing up years, a new year of school began
on that day. Not a good day for a
hillbilly kid from the mountains who was ill equipped emotionally and socially
for entrance into the world of the preparing oneself for the rest of their
lives.
While
digging through the history of the growth of Labor Day recognition, I came
across a story that brought back many memories.
Our nation was in the midst of fighting, not one war but two, the
European theater and the Asia Pacific theater, when I entered the third
grade. Although the war began when
Germany invaded Poland in 1939, the United States did not enter until Pearl
Harbor was decimated by the Imperial Japanese Air Force on December 7, 1941.
One
would not think that kids in the third grade would have any interest in such
things as war, but such was not the case. Mrs. B had kin folks who were
involved in the hand to hand combat phases of the war, as did many of the kids
in the school. So each day began with the reading from God’s word, prayer for
our troops and the Pledge of Allegiance.
She
had maps of the European Theater and the Asian theater and each morning she
became our ‘Ernie Pyle’ and gave us an up-to-the-minute- news report on the
movements of our troops. Mrs. Barnhart
was a loving grandmother who loved the Lord with all her heart and had such
deep compassion for every one of our GI’s -who that day would face harm’s
way. It was in those years, under her
loving guidance, that I became a red-neck patriot.
In
my travels through the archives I came across a story that really rang my
bell. It was a story titled “Rosy the
Riveter. Rosie is as clear in my memory today
as it was back in the war years. She was a creation of Norman Rockwell and
appeared for the first time on the front of the Saturday Evening Post on May
29, 1943, which was the Memorial Day Issue.
The
image showed a muscular woman wearing coveralls, goggles, and pins of honor on
her lapel. She sported a leather wrist
band and rolled-up sleeves. She sits with a riveting tool in her lap, eating a sandwich, and
"Rosie" is inscribed on her lunch pail. And, she's stepping on a copy
of Adolph Hitler's book "Mein Kampf."
While living in Clare,
waiting for the Village to begin, I was truly blessed to live fifty yards from a
true, extremely-dedicated-real-live ‘Rosie and Riveter’ we called Gramdma Jesse,
who worked in a plant in Chealsea Michigan. I was truly blessed to hear her
many wonderful stories of the sacrifices these ladies gave to assure that our
troops had all they needed to do their job.
She said, every piece of equipment that went out of the factory to the
war zone carried the tears and words of their love and God’s love on it.
Jessie never talked of
her days as a ‘Rosie the Riveter’ with dry eyes. As I thought about those wonderful days, when
I was so blessed to spend time with this dear saint of God, I could not help
but wonder- if our country suddenly found itself in war again, would the people
of our nation do as those warriors did by denying self and taking up their
cross and lay down their lives to assure that our nation met its challenges?
There are those who
say, no way – we have become a soft, uncaring, hardened people who have lost
our first love. But I do not believe that.
Yes, the airways are filled with rebellious souls, who have lost their
way, but when the rubber-hits-the-road the people who love the Lord God with
all their heart will once again zip up their armor, secure their helmets of
salvation and take up their cross- which is the word of God- and meet the challenge.
So, as we celebrate
this Labor Day, let us consider what John F. Kennedy said in his inauguration
speech: “Ask not what your country can do
for you but what you can do for your country.”
Blessings,
Gramps
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