There was an article on one of the news outfits on the Internet, CNN or MSNBC I don’t remember which, asking “Why do we celebrate Cinco de Mayo”. I was surprised by this as the answer has always been “because it’s Chris’s birthday.” This is so simple a problem to answer I couldn’t believe it warranted an entire article on a national news service, all they had to do was give me a call and I could have told them saving a lot of angst on their part.

As one of Chris’s parents I was always mildly surprised that an entire country chose to celebrate Chris’s birthday. I  noticed that shortly after he was born Mexico began celebrating Chris’s birthday. I was a little surprised that they chose to call it Cinco de Mayo instead of Chris’s Birthday Day, but then I thought that his being born was so great that celebrating the day was an even neater way to celebrate it rather than calling it Chris’s Birthday day. I realize he is a special person but a whole country stopping in their tracks, not to mention other folks around the world joining in to celebrate his birthday for an entire day, well you have to admit, that is pretty cool.

 It shouldn’t be that unusual though, Chris always has been a special person doing exceptional things even as a young person. Here he is shown after a hard day working on the railroad. He was instrumental in completing the Ferrocarril Chihuahua al Pacifico railway, a rail line known for its dangerous tunnels and high trestles that span 1000′ deep ravines. That was an amazing feat for someone as young as Chris, but was it enough to get an entire nation to celebrate his birthday. We think so. When we look back at those days now and ask Chris what he thought about it, all he can say is “Boy o Boy O Boy that was some crazy stuff” in his usual modest way.

So there you have it. We celebrate Cinco de Mayo day because it is Chris’s birthday. That’s it. Short and sweet. Happy Birthday son. I love you.