Happy Labour Day!

"Labour Day seeks to foster and promote the Spirit of voluntarism within the nation. And this year people will be encouraged to demonstrate care and support for our children, by complementing the usual physical works with activities that target the mental and social development of children – mentoring, teaching and other forms of intervention."

Today is Labor Day in Jamaica! I have always been confused as to which is the Spring Holiday, Labor Day or Memorial Day. I always knew they were important for what they represented and for the fact that they bracketed in summer time, but I would always get them confused. So, now I will probably forever be confused because in Jamaica they do celebrate Labor day in the Spring. And, in Jamaica, many people actually labor on Labour day. Growing up, I was always "deceived" into pulling weeds out of the garden, washing the car, or mowing the lawn on Labor day because it was "a day to Labor." Well, soon enough, I found out that the joke was on me as I got old enough to realize that the day was celebrated by people as a day not to work and to celebrate with parades and festivals. In Jamaica, people often congregate to nursing homes, schools, and other institutions for service projects. As you can see from the mission statement above, it is very intentional in its focus. Happy Labor Day!