So I heard Cinco de Mayo mentioned on numerous occasions at approximately this time of year and wondered what it meant. I must have been a victim of my sheltered life…

‘Cinco de Mayo in Mexico for ‘Fifth of May’ is a yearly celebration held on May 5 to celebrate Mexico’s victory over the Second French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862 led by General Ignacio Zaragoza.’

Today it is a joyous celebration of all things Mexican. It is a signpost to me that our year is progressing rapidly. Of course, May 4 is ‘May The Fourth be With You’ in honor of Star Wars.

Winter has passed and summer is staring at us from around the next corner. This is one of the numerous happy events that mark our calendar of celebration. We have so many holidays we are a bit numb to the blessing of enjoying life. As Tiny Buddha says, ‘Stop acting surprised when good things happen to you. You’re a good person and you deserve it.’

Life is a patchwork quilt of small joys and exciting occurrences that tend to go unnoticed if we are not actively looking. Look we do for the big events when our existence is replete with small blessings.

Last evening our dear friends Jim and Joan visited us and Jim and Mylo put on a show of mutual affection that lifted our spirits. They clicked and they were into each other and it showed! Jim even stroked Mylo’s tail and Mylo did not seem to mind whereby if MJ or the rest of us did that we would be met with a reprimand by him. Jim chased Mylo and Mylo piroetted for Jim and both understood the dance. Their joy in mutual communion made the evening complete.

Repetition is beautiful. The choreography of our time here is resplendent with color action mystery and meaning. At times we can not see the forest for the trees and at other times we see the trees clearly. Each moment is a gift. Every breath we take is special.

In the woods, I hear the voice of God. Not loud and with thunder but quiet as the trees making the sound of their motion in the wind. The wood actually makes a creaking noise that I had not heard until recently… It is therapeutic.

I have been reading Annie Jacobsen’s book Nuclear War. It is breathtaking in its reality of nuclear war. What we assume is our birthright and a matter of everyday life can be taken from us in an instant. Baseball games and picnics on the ground can disappear in a flash of blinding light.

Desensitized we are by our love of social media and big bank accounts. Safe we feel in our gated communities. We buy what we want and what we desire. We go where we please and stay until we are ready to return. There is no guarantee that it will always be so…