What an incredible day! The clouds are gone and the sun is shinning brightly. The air is cool and dry with a slight breeze. It is as if you can breathe again. The summers here in Maryland can be long, hot and humid. We have been fortunate this year however, there have been no days over 100 degrees. For that I am grateful and so are the girls! As you can imagine summer is not their favorite time of year. The past week had been that muggy wet air that makes you feel like a sponge when you stepped outside. Today is just stunning!

I know the animals are enjoying the weather too. When the girls and I did our morning walk the birds were singing louder than usual and the squirrels were running with a little more energy than normal. While out on our walk I got to thinking about how we measure the time in our lives. In celebrating my birthday today I reflected back on all that I had been through the past year and years of my life. It has been an interesting journey to say the least. Through all of this my girls have been by my side. We have all been through so much together over the years. Some years have been great and others not so much, but through it all they have gone along for the ride.

Birthdays are a time of celebrating us for who we are and marking that passage of time. Our pets are no different. I know many of us have birthday parties or celebrations for our beloved pets. We celebrate them for who they are and what they bring to our lives. Their time with us is always so short. There is a great quote by Irving Townsend that says “We who choose to surround ourselves with lives even more temporary than our own, live within a fragile circle, easily and often breached. Unable to accept its awful gaps, we still would live no other way. We cherish memory as the only certain immortality, never fully understanding the necessary plan.” How true! I can't imagine my life with out my pets or without an animal in it.

So celebrate them today and everyday as we all are just visitors here on Mother Earth for a brief moment in time. I have my birthday cake and the girls will have theirs on this day too as we all just enjoy the sweetness of life and all the cakes and cookies it has to offer!

Happy Trails,
Sherry