On this Labor Day weekend, I’ve been thinking of all who toil so that others can have it easier. It makes me think of a story my mother would tell about her uncle, an Irish immigrant who lived and worked in Manhattan in the 1920s. That was a time when the Irish were given the dirty jobs that others wouldn’t do, like working in the sewers, because they were discriminated against and considered to be among the lowest of the low.
Uncle Mike, a tall, strong, handsome, hard-working Irishman, was coming up from a city sewer, through the manhole. Just then a truck ran over the hole. It scalped him. My mother said he was never the same after that, his personality changed, he never worked again. He was “lucky to be alive,” they said.
I have thought of him many times, particularly when I see laborers toiling in the hot sun doing hard, dirty, potentially dangerous jobs others won’t even apply to do. As we think about the reason for Labor Day and the progress made in the last 100 years, there are plenty of reasons to take at least a moment of silence to thank those who do the dirty, back-breaking, hot and sweaty jobs. Those that start well before the sun comes up, and those who work deep into the night. The builders, roofers, miners, waiters and kitchen staff at restaurants. Those who stand behind a counter for hours serving the public. Those who work behind the scenes doing tedious, repetitive tasks hour after hour, day after day. Those who load and unload. Lift and move. Build and tear down. Dig and plant. Climb up high and deep into the earth. All the jobs done so that we can have a comfortable, safe, easier life.
Take a moment to picture and appreciate all that you experienced today and will experience this week thanks to those who toil for your benefit. We should do what we can to protect all who labor for the rest of us. They deserve our respect and appreciation. Every single one of them, regardless of where they are from.
Ironically, I just learned that our house trash will be picked up on Labor Day. Many will be working September 1 for our safety and comfort. I’m grateful for each and every one of them.
