How did we get "President's Day?" I mean, I remember celebrating two president's birthday's as a kid, George Washington (February 17) and Abraham Lincoln (February 12). So why did we lump them into one day? And who are we celebrating when the celebration is just "Presidents" in general. Are we supposed to have a parade, or fireworks, or...gee I can't recall anything celebratory about President's Day. Oh wait...there's the President's Day sales! That's right...that's the ONLY thing that makes this day celebratory. REALLY?
Being naturally full of wonder, I researched why Washington and Lincoln lost their special holidays and were combined into one holiday and found this information on the History.com website (https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/presidents-day):
"Washington's Birthday was made a federal holiday in 1885 and joined four other nationally recognized federal bank holidays—Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, the Fourth of July and Thanksgiving. It was the first to celebrate the life of an individual American. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, signed into law in 1983, was the second.
The proposed change was seen by many as a novel way to create more three-day weekends for the nation’s workers, and it was believed that ensuring holidays always fell on the same weekday would reduce employee absenteeism. While some argued that shifting holidays from their original dates would cheapen their meaning, the bill also had widespread support from both the private sector and labor unions and was seen as a surefire way to bolster retail sales."
"Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed.
Life is not measured by how much you own.”
Luke 12:15 (NLT)
Today, as you celebrate two of our founding fathers' birthdays by shopping and enjoying your 3-day weekend, consider for a moment their sacrifices and how their lives made America the great country that it is. Don't let their legacy only be seen on the money you hand to the cashier.
Day 40- Greed