Labor Day

      Today is Labor Day in the United States. To many Americans, Labor Day signals the end of summer vacations and the start of a new school year. Many families observe Labor Day by gathering for the last picnic of summer or the season’s final trip to the beach but that's not what Labor Day was set aside for.

      Peter J. McGuire, a carpenter and union leader, generally receives credit for suggesting a holiday to honor workers in 1882. McGuire chose the September date to give workers a holiday midway through the long stretch between Independence Day (July 4) and Thanksgiving (the fourth Thursday in November).

      In 1887 Oregon became the first state to make Labor Day a legal holiday and in 1894 the United States Congress passed legislation that made Labor Day a federal holiday, and President Grover Cleveland signed the bill into law.

Let's take today and be thankful for all those who work hard.

      Dear Lord, Thank you

• For Labor Day