Remembering how Labor Day used to be way back when
There is a wonderful song by the Judds — “Grandpa (Tell Me Bout' the Good Old Days.)”#8220;Grandpa, tell me 'bout the good old daysSometimes it feels like this world's gone crazyAnd Grandpa, take me back to yesterdayWhen the line between right and wrong Didn't seem so hazy ...Was a promise really something people kept.Not something they would say and then forget. #8230;Did daddies really never go away?Oh, Grandpa, tell me 'bout the good old days #8230;#8221;
Well, I was lucky my daddy didn't go away. He was a very devoted family man and a great father.
One very clear memory is a Labor Day parade in our small town of Brainerd, Minnesota. It's one of my oldest memories. It was a big parade for a small town of 10,000 people up in the lake region. The tourists were on their way back home, so it was mostly watched by just us locals. Families, groups of friends, teenagers, lots of children waving American flags. It was a big deal.
This was only about six or seven years after the end of World War II. There were lots of military vets marching with rifles on their shoulders, horses, Jeeps, firetrucks, bands, floats #8212; the whole nine yards. It was exciting. I remember sitting on my father's shoulders so I could see above the crowd.
Then there was a big barbecue at home with Dad doing the burgers, steaks, chicken, hot dogs. All the family and some friends were there, too. Kids ran around happily in the yard. Ice cream, watermelon wedges held in our hands and eaten down to the rind, messy but delicious.
Of course, nowadays many of us live far away from those hometowns. Yet I imagine, for some, this family ritual is still going on #8212; with perhaps a parade. I don't know. Many families are pretty spread out geographically these days. Probably it will be mostly smaller groups or just a few at the barbecue. There are still Labor Day parades in many communities here, but not old-time community picnics.
I am fortunate my dear sister-in-law, Noelle, and friend, Pat, tend to the grave of my dear Baheej out in Durham, New Hampshire. They usually have pretty fall mums blooming there. It's a long way from here. Usually I go out in early October to visit, but the pandemic has disrupted that for the second year in a row now.
Well, the point is: These annual holidays can be very soothing and comforting for the bereaved. A familiar ritual. Labor Day, for many, is still an occasion for family barbecues. Now, with vaccinations, it is possible to get together again. Just like the #8220;good old days.#8221;
Although actually, this year, I'm barbecuing for just myself #8212; but that's OK, too. I always celebrate and commemorate these special holidays. I like traditions #8212; the good ones that is! Happy Labor Day.
#8226; Susan Anderson-Khleif of Sleepy Hollow has a doctorate in family sociology from Harvard, taught at Wellesley College and is a retired Motorola executive. Contact her at sakhleif@comcast.net or see her blog longtermgrief.tumblr.com. See previous columns at www.dailyherald.com/topics/Anderson-Kleif-Susan.