Like many other businesses, our office will be closed on Monday, Sept. 7, in observance of Labor Day. This weekend traditionally marks the unofficial end of summer, and locally, Labor Day weekend is synonymous with one of Callaway's biggest events, the Kite Flight.

With no school and no work, for most of us the holiday simply translates into a three-day weekend and an opportunity to potentially sneak in one more little getaway. And as it turns out, that is precisely what precipitated the founding of the holiday in the first place.

Did you know that Labor Day has been recognized as a national holiday for more than 130 years? I didn’t! President Grover Cleveland signed legislation making Labor Day an official federal holiday on June 28, 1894, following a strike by workers at the Pullman Palace Car Company near Chicago over low wages and long hours. The strike resulted in a national railroad boycott and violent clashes. Apparently, keeping workers happy has always been a challenge!

I have worked several different jobs over the years in a wide variety of fields. My first job, like many young women in the 70s, was waiting tables. I also had a short stint as a flag girl on a road construction crew. I’ve worked as a cashier in a convenience store, the graveyard shift at BD, a school cook, and as a caregiver and cook in an assisted living facility.

Through each of those experiences, I learned things about working and about myself that eventually led to the opportunity to fulfill my dream job of journalism.

My love of reading and writing began at an early age and was fostered by a wonderful teacher in my 5th and 6th grade years. In high school, I wrote for our school paper, and my role as co-editor of the yearbook during my senior year cemented my goal of becoming a journalist. I am beyond grateful to have been given the opportunity to achieve that goal 25 years ago, and to those who poured into me along the way - particularly Deb McCaslin.

There’s a famous saying, “Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.” Though the origin of the quote is uncertain, I am proof that it is true.

So while our office will be closed on Monday, I will be home doing what I love.

But don’t tell…my boss thinks I’m working.