As I sit on my front porch, it’s starting to get a bit chilly. I welcome this weather. I’m a sweatshirt and jeans kind of gal. In the midwest, you can go from a 100 degree day (yesterday) to a 50 degree day (tomorrow) and not bat an eye. Labor Day has always been my favorite holiday. I know that this may seem weird, but this has always been a family weekend.
My sister lives in a small town that is famous for their Labor Day weekend festivities. When we were younger, we lived about 6 miles from this small town and we would go every Labor Day weekend. There would be a carnival, a flea market, lots of food vendors and of course, the parade. My sister and I always wished that we lived in this town and more specifically, in this big white house on the corner. This house was across the street from the park and right on the parade route. We mused that we would always be on time and we would always have great seats. I’m sure you know where I am going with this…my sister now lives in the big white house that we always loved.
When she moved in, our weekends would be spent in her garage with a few adult beverages. You could hear the street dance and could watch people walk downtown and then stumble back. More than likely, they would make a pit stop at the garage for one more. This is always the weekend that I ran into my husband. Well, he wasn’t my husband at the time, just a guy that I went to high school with many years back. That is a totally different post!
As we got older, the nights weren’t as long and the house was filled with kids and friends and family. There was always lots of food. There was a great spot to watch the parade, although I always missed the first part as in recent years, I drove the Labor Day Queen in my convertible.
This year was different. There were not festivities. There wasn’t a parade, or a flea market or food vendors. It was cancelled due to COVID. It really sucked. I was on my porch Saturday morning, having my coffee and I was sad. It was beautiful out, but I was missing the hectic weekend. I texted my sister and she told me to come down and hang out. I headed down Sunday and we had a good time. We went to see my mom (another story), and then out for an early super with my niece and nephew. It was really important to me to have this time with my family. I’m lucky that we have always been close and laughing and sharing old stories was just what I needed. We spend the evening with some cold beers and good friends.
Coming home today was different. I wasn’t fighting the crowds to get out of town or just getting out of my sisters. I was reflecting on the weekend and even though it was different, I wouldn’t trade it. Family and friends are everything. And if you are lucky to have friends that are family, their laughter and stories and just knowing that they are there for you, well, that is really the only thing that matters.
#LaborDay #SmallTown #MiddleAmerica
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