Thought – Labour Day marks so many things in my life. I could never figure out why I was always so emotional the last week in August and the first week in September. It is such a milestone date, memories of being a kid and last day at the Ex, first day of school, can remember starting high school like it was yesterday (right down to the so cool tartan skirt my mom bought me, that wasn’t so cool when I went in to register, luckily there was a boy there whose name was Doug Shirley, who was called up to the stage with “Shirley, Doug” that might have been more embarrassing). Then Labour Day goes on a sabbatical for a while when work starts, but boy does it come back with a bang when you start having kids and they go off to school.

Preparations were crazy the week before, school bags, lunch bags, pencil crayons, etc. What to wear, we always bought new fall and winter clothes and the first week of school was always beautiful, and off my 5, or 6 or 7 year old would go with his/her new wooly sweaters, that usually came off by the time they got to the school yard. And there was me standing in the school yard with all the other moms, with my throat acting like it had just closed up from a major allergic reaction as I tried not to cry. By the time the kids were in grade 3, the other parents knew just to nod at me.

It’s funny now I can close my eyes and bring back that happy/sad feeling that will always be associated with Labour Day weekends, or I can just play the Staples commercial on youtube and enjoy the day. “It’s the most wonderful time of the year”. Happy Labour Day