Gratituesday: Laboring

Someone at work asked me how my Labor Day weekend was.  I said I spent all three days remodeling and painting my sewing room.  She commented, "So you labored on Labor Day".

Yes I did.  And labor is something to be grateful for.  First, the choice to labor.  In some countries the goverment tells you what your job will be.  In America, we can follow our own path when it comes to labor. 

Second, the ability to labor.  Some people have bona fide disabilities or illnesses that prevent them from working.  I'm grateful that I have a working body that does what I need it to do.  

I'm grateful that my parents bestowed a good work ethic in me.  There are people that prefer to cheat the system so they can live on welfare, disability, or drug dependency just to avoid doing for themselves.  I have no respect for people who game the system to avoid earning their living.

My heart goes out to folks who despertely WANT to be laboring now - but can't find work because of the economy. 

I'm grateful, too, that I'm marrying a man that values labor too.  The Conductor always pitches in when he's at my house

and it's important to him to be a good provider for us when we're married.  I'm grateful for a partner willing to do his share of labor.

I'm also grateful for all the laborers who came before me.

There's the manual laborers who unionized to fight for fair wages, safe working conditions, the 40 hour work week, and other things we all take for granted. 

And for the workers who fought to end sexual discrimination and sexual harassment in the work place and who fought for the right for working moms to have family leave and keep their jobs after having babies. 

So, yes, I labored long and hard this past Labor Day weekend.  But I'm grateful for every backbreaking, muscle aching, calloused hand moment of it.

I'm linking up to Gratitutuesday at Heavenly Homemakers.  Join us here!