Labor Day is a special kind of portal in the calendar year.
Pools close and schools open. More than the first day of spring or even Memorial Day, Labor Day is the slamming of the door on one season and the beginning of another.
A new school year is a fresh start in a way that New Year's Day cannot match. It is new shoes and a new teacher and a chance to begin again. Even if your children are grown and gone, the first day of school still has that hint of promise.
Above, Shrine of the Little Flower Catholic School in Baltimore Maryland. Twas my grade school and that of many of the kids that I coached over the years. Now they call it the "Green School". Go figure. The good sisters are turning in their graves!
