Of Jobs and Celebration

Once again, I'm full of all sorts of lofty thoughts, and no idea how, or where, to begin to commit them to words.
Today is "Labor Day". We celebrate the great American workforce. But to me it is more than just a celebration of the workforce, it is a celebration of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that Lyndon Baines Johnson, the last great president from the Great State of Texas signed into law.
And for me, Title VII, as it is more commonly known, was once my chosen life's work. To assure that no person , regardless of race, creed, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or different abilities, would be discriminated against in the workplace. I knew I couldn't save the world, but I thought I might make a difference in one small corner of it....
I guess I really didn't stick around long enough. Almost forty years after I put my toe in the door, we're still fighting for equal pay for equal work.
Both Hillary and Barak give me hope that women may finally see a measured equality in employment. Both in their opportunities, and their compensation. It has been a long time coming.
On the other hand, I can celebrate that right now, at this point in time, all of my boys are gainfully employed, self-supporting (well, almost), and in good health! There were many days, and nights, when that seemed a fantasy. A mother's dream never to be realized....
Oh the dinner table stories this topic engenders!
Big Mike's whistle-blowing days with the gold coin scam business...
David's days as a landscaper...along with spider bites and allergies and a general lack of work ethic made that short lived...
Josh the carpenter....Josh the artist...Josh the plumber...Josh the jet-ski instructor/guide....Josh the bartender...Josh the tower climber....but always...JOSH THE MAGNIFICENT!!!
Rob the movie mogul...Rob the used car salesman...Rob the Realtor.....oh my...Rob can sell a bridge in Brooklyn, to someone in the Bronx...
Ollie the Hawiian beach bum aka Verizon's vunder-kind
And Little Mike's days in the Air Force....where for eight years we all held our breath and prayed....
and all the rest of them and their stories.....

But they all have jobs.....

I celebrate!