It's Labor Day weekend, the time when we celebrate the contributions workers have made to our country.

According to the Department of Labor's (DOL) website, “Some records show that Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a co-founder of the American Federation of Labor, was first in suggesting a day to honor those ‘who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold.'”

Some have challenged this assertion.

The DOL adds that, “Many believe that Matthew Maguire, a machinist, not Peter McGuire, founded the holiday. Recent research seems to support the contention that Matthew Maguire, later the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, N.J., proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York.”

No matter who is responsible for its creation, what is clear is that many believed there ought to be a day recognizing the backbone of our society, the workers.

Flash forward to today, and the holiday weekend has grown to have other meanings. It is also the time we throw our ‘end of summer barbecues' and in the case of this year, throw one last limited attendance, socially distant shindig.

However, the purpose of Labor Day should not be overlooked, especially after the year we've had.

As this global pandemic has taken its toll on us all, Americans have continued to go to work. For some that meant risking their lives on the front lines to provide us healthcare and all the essential services we have become so accustomed to receiving.

For others, it meant having to switch to a remote work environment. And for some, a lot of new technology had to be learned.

Three things stick out to us while reflecting on the plight of workers in 2020. When the chips are down or we are pushed against the wall we are resilient, we adapt and we won't hesitate to put the needs of others before our own.

More challenges lie ahead, and some of us will use this time off to take a breath, and get right back at it on Tuesday.

This crisis has taken its toll on all of us, both physically, psychologically and spiritually. We've lost loved ones and our economy has suffered.

But it has not broken our will.

To each worker in Sullivan County and Wayne County, PA., we say hats off to you.

Thank you for your contribution. Your hard work has not gone unnoticed or unappreciated.

You're the best!