Expecting? – Mr. Holiday?! | Grandma’s Stories

Aug 31st Expecting? – Mr. Holiday?!

Today – the 31^st of August will finish the month – but tomorrow the 1^st of September – welcomes “Mr. Holiday” – which used to be “Labor Day” – a rest of from “work” – according to whom? Every store will be “OPEN” and so many will spend the whole day shopping – and the rest of us are going to be in the back yard bar-b-cuing – and “SUN-baking” ourselves to a crisp! After all these many years of doing the same thing – even myself – I’m letting everyone else do the work – and will just sit back and enjoy!

While just sitting back and thinking about how this day was celebrated when I was an “ORPHAN” and there were 350 of us children – and on a special “HOLIDAY” such as this – this would be considered a “RED LETTER DAY” in our times!

“LABOR DAY” was a day that all the children would have been preparing for – in the previous weeks – there would be different “RACES” – which we would all participate in – to see who might win prizes. If you were a runner – we would see you running all around and with others – just to see who possibly would win? Some of the kids would try doing the two-legged and three-legged races – just trying to see which combination of kids could coordinate – together and maybe win in those types of races? Some of us would get some spoons from the kitchen and each participant would put a rock in the spoon and we would run against others – just to get an idea of who – would win? On “RACE DAY” the NUNS would hand out an egg, to be used in the spoon – so you had to learn self-control and be fast, too! Dropped eggs = looser!

There was one race that I enjoyed doing and that was the one – which involves that you put a book on your head – and walk/fast using complete control over how you hold your head – so as to not let that “BOOK” fall off! I was lucky to win at this race several times – guess I might have a “HEAD FOR BOOKS” – small laugh – here??

The NUNS would have tables set up with all kinds of good stuff that the kids would like to have – most was donated for the kids – but they would collect and save things just for this “LABOR DAY” event for the kids to have fun! Also there would be 1^st – 2^nd – 3rd and 4^th place prizes – that way almost every child would get a chance to pick out something for themselves – and have “FUN” – while feeling apart of the “RACE” event!

We would always have “Supper” at 6:00 pm and to finish the “LABOR DAY” FUN – there would be a movie for us to view outside on the “BOY’s” side of the play ground – that is if the weather is good – in the case of bad weather the movie would be shown in the Auditorium. For “ORPHANS” – having FUN – was the one part of living in the “Orphanage” that kept a lot of us growing up with some kind of “HOPE” – someday when we leave and have families of our own – we did have some fun and will be looking to give even more to our own families with more “LOVE” than – that which we had received – just so – as “LIFE” continues – “TOMORROW WILL BE A BETTER DAY!”