August 28, 2012

September, Our Ninth Month – 2012 is two-thirds over

By Eloise Graham

The birthstone for September is the Sapphire. The sapphire is said to symbolize heaven. Have you ever wondered why the September sky is often a deeper brighter blue? Maybe that is why the ancient peoples thought that Sapphire would symbolize the heavens.

Modern gemologists have discovered that sapphires, derived from the mineral Corundum (aluminum oxide), also come in pink, green, purple and yellow.

The flower for September is the aster symbolizing love. It also stands for daintiness and patience. The aster is a well-known autumn flower along with its close relatives, the chrysanthemum and the zinnia.

Holidays and some special dates for September start with Labor Day. That day is observed the first Monday of the month. A more current celebration is that of Grandparents Day. In the United Stated, it is celebrated the first Sunday after Labor Day. Grandparents Day was first recognized in 1978. I was not aware of it until the mid 1980s when my children would come home from school telling me that we needed to do something for the grandparents. When was your first recollection of Grandparents Day? September also is the month for the Autumn Equinox, the beginning of fall. This year, the equinox is the night of September 22.

Did you know that it was in September of 1776 that the Continental Congress changed the name of the United Colonies to that of the United States? It was on September 6, 1901 that President William McKinley was shot. He was attending the Buffalo Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. He died eight days later. September 2 of 1666 was the start of the Great Fire of London. It began in a bakery in Pudding Lane near the Tower. Over the next three days more that 13,000 homes were destroyed, but only six lives were believed to have been lost. It was also on September 2 of 1962 that Russia agreed to send arms to Cuba. Thus beginning the October Missile Crises once the shipments were discovered by the U.S. On an Olympic note, Jesse Owens was born September 12, 1913. He won four medals in track and field at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, defeating Nazi athletes and disappointing Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. Mr. Owens died in 1980.