GOSSIP FROM THE GIRLFRIEND GATHERINGS

Learning from YOU to empower ME !

Tribute to the American Worker on Labor Day

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Labor Day is usually the last remnant of the summer vacation.   We either have our last cookout on the patio, go shopping to catch the end-of-summer sale, or head to the beach for that last dip in the ocean before the Fall/Winter season.   However, we all should take a moment to appreciate the meaning of the holiday.

Becoming a federal holiday in 1894, the first Monday of September is the day that was chosen to observe the social and economic contributions of the American worker to our country and to the world.   These contributions were numerous and life changing.  All you have to do is look around in your own city to get a glimpse of the ingenuity of the American worker.

Here are just a few of those amazing contributions in my city – the Houston/Galveston area:

  • the Astrodome – the world’s first domed stadium and 8th wonder of the modern world
  • NASA Mission Control – helping to put the first man (an American) on the moon
  • Galveston Seawall – built to protect that portion of the Gulf Coast after the 1900 Hurricane that killed 8,000 persons which is still considered one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history.
  • Houston Ship Channel – a 100+ year-old “man-made’ deep water seaport which has made Houston one of the busiest seaports in the U.S. It is still considered a feat of civil engineering to this day.

I know that one of the key ingredients of the American worker is the “we can” attitude.   When there is a problem, a need, and/or an opportunity to reach beyond limits the American worker will show up.  We should all take a moment to honor and embrace that trait on Labor Day.

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Happy Labor Day, my fellow Americans!

 

Questions(s):

Can you share what marvels exist in your city from the efforts of the American worker?

 

Letting Go for the New Year

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Evening SeaIt is the last day of the year.   The New Year starts on tomorrow.       December 31st is a good day to look back on the past year and “let go” of those internal and external things that will prevent you from productively moving forward in the New Year.   A “letting go” ritual is a good way to start implementing change in your life.

A “letting go” ritual can be as easy as making a list and physically destroying it or using your imagination to create an entire “letting go” scenario.    One scenario I employ is to imagine I am standing on a small cliff over a beach watching the rolling waves.   Riding on each wave is something or someone that I am letting go.   I like this scenario because it is not destructive……it is not “labeling” the thing I am letting go…… it is just simply carrying it away to another shore.

For some of us, letting go is difficult – especially when there is another person involved.   However, it can be a cleansing and healing experience.   It can be a peaceful ritual that can truly foster personal growth.     Consider it as another positive way to bring in the New Year.   Try it.

QUESTION(S):

How do you celebrate the end of one year and the start of the New Year?

‘Tis the Season to be Jolly! Really?

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008Whatever happened to peaceful, joyful, and merry-making holidays?    As my sister and I drove on the highway passing in front of our local mall on Thanksgiving evening, we were stunned to see the throng of cars in the parking lots.   People had cut short their Thanksgiving meal with family/friends to start Christmas shopping by 5pm.   It seems everyone is on a quest to find the perfect gift.  Children are mesmerized by all of the advertisements and parents have their children wish lists in hand while they go into debt trying to buy everything on it.

Whatever happened to being content with a slice of Big Mama’s coconut cake or MaDear’s sweet potato pie?   Remember the joy of feeling like a big girl when you helped your mother “set” the table?  Remember the fun in playing with those cousins from out-of-town that you only saw once or twice a year?   Remember the joy of licking the cake dough from the spatula and scooping it from the mixing bowl after your mother put the cake in the oven?   Yes, receiving toys was great but it was only a part of the enjoyment.

Now, success is judged by how soon you started Christmas shopping during the year, how many gifts you bought, and how much money you spent for them.  The retailers start planting holiday shopping in our minds before the kids have gone trick-or-treating and no one has consideration for the poor retail workers who gulped down their Thanksgiving dinner so the rest of you can shop early.

In yesteryear, Thanksgiving had the appropriate reverence and no one thought of Christmas until the turkey leftovers were gone.  Parents watched their kid’s interests throughout the year to determine an appropriate gift or gifts for Christmas.   The child may not have received everything they wanted but they were content with whatever gift they received because it was truly a gift and not a fulfillment of a sense of entitlement.

The slow commercialization of the period between Halloween and New Years’ Day is a phenomenon that steadily grows each year.   Personally, I find myself rebelling against it.   As I watch people fervently shopping and traffic around the malls, all I want to do is arrive to a relaxing evening in my home or spend time with my family /friends.    I will purchase gifts for the children in my immediate family but I will not succumb to the “call” of the retailers and shop in wild abandonment.  I will pass some blessings on by donating some money to help others.   I will make some joyful noise/memories with my loved ones this season and that will be a wonderfully sufficient gift for me.

Let us put THANKS back in the last Thursday in November, GIVING back in the season,  and CHRIST back in Christmas.

QUESTION(s)

Do you feel there is too much commercialization of the holiday season?

Do you miss the old-fashioned family-value methods of celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas?