We drove south yesterday, back to central New York, for my father's 85th birthday. The actual day is today, and there will be a party tonight. I woke at 7:30 today to a familiar thumping sound: my father doing his Royal Canadian Air Force exercises, just as he has every day for the past fifty years. He's in remarkable physical shape for his age, but what's even better is that he's happy. For the past year he's been seeing a very nice woman, his own age, and reconnecting with friends from his years in business who live a few towns to the south, where she does. Tonight the guests will be a combination of old friends and neighbors, and newer friends from that other community. We haven't had to do much of anything except decorate the house; his friends have organized the party.
So that's the reason for thin posting around here of late; tomorrow we'll be heading back to Montreal, and because we rushed to get much of our Christmas preparation done before we left (so we could mail American packages from the U.S.) we're hoping for some more relaxed days in the weeks ahead, and for me that includes getting to some of the more reflective writing I've been hoping to do.
For now, I'm just feeling glad my dad is so well and that he's been able to pick up his life and live it fully again. It reminds me of how he always insisted I get up and try again after falling off my bike, or out of a tree, and how he always valued persistence and determination (stick-to-it-ive-ness was more the way he'd put it.) He received the worst blow he could have imagined when my mother died, but he's come back from it, and that gives me hope for my own later years when, like everyone, I'll inevitably face great difficulties.
Happy birthday, Dad, and many more.
Happy birthday to your father, a picture of fitness, in body and spirit...I enjoyed my evening in his company earlier this year...L
Posted by: quiet not-so-regular reader | December 15, 2009 at 03:59 PM
Great to hear your father is doing so well -- and the festivities for his birthday sound like a great way to celebrate. I also appreciate the point you made in your post about persistence.
Posted by: maria | December 15, 2009 at 04:25 PM
Happy birthday to a lovely sounding man. Enjoy his celebration.
Posted by: Kim | December 15, 2009 at 05:43 PM
Your father's a remarkable man. I hope he has many birthdays still to come.
Posted by: Dave | December 15, 2009 at 08:23 PM
You must have good genes. What a treat it must be to see one of your parents doing so well.
Posted by: mary mccloskey | December 16, 2009 at 05:30 PM