Of mobility and agility...

Today is my Dad's 85th birthday. Not bad for a man who spent his 80th birthday in hospital recovering from brain surgery…. or whose family was called to the intensive care unit when he was "bleeding to death" with only hours left to live on his 83rd birthday. (See photos below.) The fact that my Dad is here to celebrate his 85th birthday today is a testimony to the amazing healing power of God….. but also a testimony to my Dad's own courage and perseverance in the face of such critical illness. I salute him today for his faith and resilience. Both of those hospital emergencies carried the threat of possible long term consequences…. such as seriously impaired mobility or mental capacity. But Dad worked hard to learn to walk again and now, in 2013, he can walk around the house or go outdoors to work in the garden.

Of course, there's a difference between mobility and agility. Mobility is being able to walk and move around; agility is something more. Perhaps my Dad's taking to the floor to dance a waltz on his 60th wedding anniversary this year went just a little beyond mobility and touched on the realm of agility. See that video by clicking here: the anniversary waltz

If you're a dog owner, "agility" means something different again, because canine agility is a well known international sport in the dog world. I don't have a dog here in Spain, but in honour of Dad's birthday and mobility, my cat Teddi has worked on a little video called, "Attempts at Agility." You'll find it below, after the hospital photos. Happy Birthday, Dad!

And if you came to my blog today to find me on video, keep scrolling down. The clip of my Senegal interview is in the previous post - the one for 28th November.

80th birthday in hospital

83rd birthday in hospital

And here, in honour of your 85th birthday…. I hope you enjoy Teddi's "Attempts at Agility."