We in Canada have been celebrating Labour Day since 1894; it has become a national statutory holiday. Traditionally this day, the first Monday of September, was set aside for honouring laborers of the middle class. On this day there were picnics, parades and activities planned to bring together the laborers in a day of solidarity.
Things are different now. Today Labour Day is more about getting the children back into routine for another school year and for catching up on all the summer chores at home. This has become the weekend when we begin to turn over the garden, pull up the bedding plants and air out the sweaters. It has become known as the last weekend of the summer.
But, truth is, the official last day of summer is 2 weeks after Labour Day weekend on September 21st. That leaves almost 14 more days of warm afternoons at the beach or hiking our favorite trails or reading a good book in the shade of a tree. The sun does set earlier by September which only creates more time for star gazing or enjoying a late summer campfire.
The playful butterflies seem to linger in September inviting us all to enjoy the marigolds, Chrysanthemums and late summer roses. May we accept this invitation and pause long enough to make a few more memories before this summer’s chapter closes. As William Shakespeare writes, “Summer’s lease hath all too short a date”!
Happy September,
Rev. Heather McCarrel
