It's funny how we, as Americans, have recognized our extensive labors, and have created a holiday to "reward" ourselves for how much of our lives we work; the spoils of our labors.
Even the name of the holiday reminds us of our work-driven lifestyle... "Labor Day".
It gives our normal, too-short weekend an extra day; ironically, it's when we have that third day that we finally rest. (Makes me wonder what we do the rest of the year, on the normal weekends...)
Now that I'm one of the working people in this country, I'm taking great pains to enjoy and maximize my time off work. After only two weeks of officially working, this three-day weekend was much anticipated, and much appreciated.
Being Labor Day weekend, summer's last hurrah, my hubby's parents came in for a visit. It's always too short of a visit, but my heart for them is always changed (for the better) whenever we spend time together.
This visit has been no different.
After their arrival Friday afternoon, getting home from work, settled in, dinner; then Saturday's relaxing morning, afternoon shopping, running errands, an evening around the fire pit at our neighbors; the excitement of Sunday morning, seeing my hubby preach his first sermons at a church other than our own, boy scout meetings, Ice Cream Truck!, and going out for dinner, Monday was ours.
**Monday was also opening day of dove season... believe me, I agonized over the decision to go or not. **
(turns out I'm very glad I didn't. The boys ended up standing in almost knee-deep water and mud from the previous evening's end-of-summer storm)
My in-laws and I decided we were going to the lake, instead.
I used to hate the beach; my insecurities prevented me from enjoying myself.
My lack of self-confidence kept me, ironically, focused on myself. I couldn't see the beauty in the other people, the landscape, the atmosphere.
I was so focused on my own imperfections, that's all I saw in anyone else.
After being at the beach for over an hour, I realized that I hadn't found a flaw in anything I saw.
(Which, I realized, was HUGE for me.)
All I saw, was beauty, in so many forms.
Beauty in the mom here with her young kids and thirty pails and shovels.
The Indian family, whose toddlers are discovering the joy of the waves.
The big guys, relaxing on their rafts near the barrier of the swimming area.
The endless children, screaming in excitement, throwing sand from the bottom of the knee-deep lake where they stand, jumping in the water, squealing at their discoveries in the sand.
The bashful teens, apprehensive about disrobing to get in the water.
The pregnant mommas, the muscle-men, the dads holding their kids just above the waves.
My in-laws, walking into the water, hand in hand; exposing just a wee bit more of a misunderstood love.
All of them.
So.
Beautiful.
Being here, seeing all sorts of us who represent this global humanity...
Overcome by the realization of how, at this moment, we're all beautiful...
Despite our imperfections, our character flaws, our broken-ness, our humanity, and the potential for the ugliness we all hide inside.
Something moves inside me, correlating with the clouds in the early afternoon sky peeling away from the sun, bringing new warmth.
Now that I've had this conversation with myself, I can rest.
