I wrote this post last year, but it still reflects my sentiments this year. Today is Labor Day, a United States holiday meant to commemorate the working classes. For me, it brings back memories of my paternal grandparents who came to Ellis Island from Romania and Russia.
When my grandmother, who was 11 years old arrived with her family, the customs officers said she had an eye infection and sent her back to Russia on a ship by herself. I can't imagine how scared she must have been. Six months later, she was able to join her mother, father, and siblings in the United States.
Upon arriving in New York as children, both of my grandparents went to work in sweat shops. At some point, my grandfather became a member of the International Ladies' Garment Workers Union, which was one of the largest labor unions in the United States. I'm not sure if my grandmother did as well.
What I do know is that eventually my grandfather became a furrier, and a shop steward. I'm assuming he became a member of the International Fur and Leather Worker's Union. I'm not sure, and there's no one living who can tell me about this.
I deeply loved my grandparents, and my grandfather died of cancer sometime after my 13th birthday. I can't remember the year. It was his occupation that killed him; he had fur in his lungs.
So...as others celebrate Labor Day--and perhaps don't truly think about what it represents--I celebrate it with the knowledge that my grandfather (and grandmother) worked hard, tried his best to succeed in the United States, wasn't always successful, and died prematurely.
But he believed in the American dream, and gave it his all so that his four sons, and their children and grandchildren, could have a better life than he and my grandmother did.
I love you Grandpa and Grandma. Today I am celebrating your bravery, work ethic, and love of family and country! (I'll resume blogging on Tuesday.)
P.S. The first two comments and my responses are from last year.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Labor Day
Posted by sbwrites at 12:01 AM
Labels: Grandparents, Labor Day
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
12 comments:
That's really cool, Susan. For most, Labour Day means a day off work - it's great when it means something important to someone.
Enjoy your weekend.
Thanks P.J.
That is an amazing family history that you have and what a great tribute. You should be proud of such hardworking and loving roots on this Labor Day.
Dear KJ,
Yes, I am proud. While my grandparents often did without--particularly during the Great Depression--they always worked hard, and never asked for handouts.
When my father went to UCLA, he worked for a year so he could afford to attend, and for the next four years, he worked from midnight to eight o'clock in the morning so he could pay for his education and help support his family!
Susan
I have tears in my eyes reading this post. I can see many Filipino faces reading this post.
Dear Mariposa,
Glad to hear from you, and I'm glad my post touched you. Yes, I'm sure that almost every family in the United States has relatives from around the world who have a similar story to tell.
Susan
Susan,
Your post made me cry. I could feel the love you have for your grandparents and the love they had for their family. I don't know a lot about my grandparent's childhoods. However, I do know my grandfather grew up on a farm and didn't have it easy. He taught in a one-room schoolhouse in between each year in college to put himself through school. Then he worked on road crews in Yellow Stone National Park building roads.
We so seldom think of how difficult it was that many years ago without the child labor laws, with the great depression and all of that kind of thing. While our lives are filled with stress these days, I feel a lot of it is stress of our own making. Thank goodness we have the laws that prevent children from having to work in sweatshops and loans and other funding so that it is easier for most people to attend college.
Hugs to you. This was a beautiful post. I hope that you are enjoying this Labor Day. Thank you for reminding me that it is not just a reason to shop, not work, have a picnic or whatnot.
Love,
Tamara
Dear Tamara,
I know you really loved your grandparents, and I could feel your love for your grandfather in your comment.
Yes, I agree that most of the stress we feel is stress we create. It sure was different for our grandparents though.
While my grandmother never complained, I remember stories of how she used to wash clothes by hand, dry them on a clothes line, and iron all the clothes for the four boys and my grandfather, and she took such pride in it.
When I used to suffer from so many depressions, I tried to think of how physically difficult life used to be, and how easy I had things.
Unfortunately, it didn't make me feel better :) but it did put things in perspective.
Love,
Susan
That was an amazing thing about my grandmother, too. She never complained about how hard life was. In fact, she told about the experiences with a kind of joy that I find a bit difficult to comprehend. I guess it was more like pride and joy over taking care of her family than it was focusing on how difficult things were before all of the automation that allows for the sedentary lives we live today. Interesting!
Dear Tamara,
Isn't that interesting about how similar our grandmother's attitudes were?
Yes,I think it was pride and joy. My grandmother hardly went to school, and yet she was so competent in her home. I think it made her feel useful and good about herself.
Susan
My grandmother finished high school but no college. She took her job as homemaker very seriously and I don't think she ever struggled with the "I should be earning a paycheck" thing that I have struggled with off and on for the last few years. She really got a sense of self-worth from taking care of her family.
Thank you for this conversation. It has been nice to think of my grandparents again and the roles they had through the years.
Hugs,
Tamara
Dear Tamara,
You're certainly right about that. My grandmother was totally fulfilled as well. And I'm sure she never asked herself, "Am I pursuing the right path? Am I fulfilling my potential?" Those are questions I struggled with for years.
Yes, it has been really nice to have this conversation with you as well. It always feels good to "talk" about personal issues about which I care deeply, and find that someone else feels the same way.
Love,
Susan
Post a Comment