For those of you who know me, you know that I am bloody minded and big headed enough to believe I can walk on water. On this occasion, however, I will be walking on fire, for a change. My father in-law Jim was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in spring 2008 and he died of it in Jenuary 2009 following a rapid and devastating decline that took a fit 71 year old man who was still coaching tennis five days a week to someone who could not scratch his own nose or ask for help or say one more word to those he loved. It was painful to watch his decine and, at the same time, it was also reassuring to see his family and friends closing ranks and help and support him, and each other, in any way they could. It was heartening to see that, when something serious happens, blood truly turns out to be thicker than water and when no more can be said or done, love is all what it remains. As far as fathers-in-law go, Jim was perfect! I cannot comment on his tennis as I do not play and even if I did, I would not have wanted to run the risk to lose a game to the in-law! Not that I am competitive or anything. However, the only serve I will truly miss is Jim's serving of his great food on the table. Did I say he was a good cook? OK, OK he was an outstanding cook, really, almost as good as I am... Jim was one of those great human being for whom nothing was too much trouble and if he could help or support a friend or his family he would go the extra mile, no questions asked. He made everybody welcome in his house and in his life and he wouldn't have missed any occasion to show off his talent as a cook extraordinaire (no, I haven't spelt it wrong: it is really French). Despite the fact that Jim was obsessed with football, Chelsea, to be precise, he truly was a remarkable chap and that is why I am prepared to risk my beloved (if smelly) feet to raise money for the MND Association so that more help can be given to MND victims and their families at times where everything seems to disappear in a whirpool of pain and despair and not even the nicest memories can come to rescue. Just to put things in perspective here, consider the following before you put your hand in the wallet (or your fingers to the keyboard punching in your credit card details etc) 1. The fire bed itself is approx 20ft long and 3ft wide. 2. The coals I will be skipping on burn at 1236 °F. 3. Now: paper combusts at 451 °F, aluminium melts at 1100 °F. 4. My feet burn at a much, MUCH, lower temperature. 5. Therefore: GIVE, GIVE and GIVE until it hurts (as Mother Theresa said), just as it will hurt me, just as it hurts the families and the victims of MND Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity. So please dig deep and donate now!