A Tribute to KTG

Sorry I have been missing in action for most of this week.  My Internet was "down" which is a normal happenstance when the Mister is away on business.  I had called Comcast and as always, the nice lady responded that a strong signal was being sent to the house.

I called the Mister and spilled my woes and pleaded with him to fix it so I could get back to my life calling, blogging.  The Mister promptly reacted with his usual modus operandi.  He told me to unplug and plug practically every electrical outlet in the house.  He cross examined me with the usual routine questions concerning  blinking green lights and yellow power chords.  We did our usual dance that he choreographs to perfection, but alas, no Internet.

  He got home early Thursday evening and I met him with wanton eyes.  
Not for him.
  For the Internet.

*****


This morning, I did my usual thing.  I poured a heaping cup of my favorite chicory coffee and clicked onto Facebook to do my customary  research on friends and family who had more fun than me last night.

The first post that I laid eyes on concerned my nearest and dearest, KTG.  I've written about KTG in the past.  I showed you gorgeous photos of her beautiful second home in Sante Fe here, and I also cued you into a few of her favorite things here.

To refresh your memory,  KTG is one of my oldest friends from college.  I nicknamed her Kate the Great for many reasons that will soon become obvious in this post.  I think I also let you in on the fact that she is by far the funniest friend I have, and I have my share of very funny buddies.  KTG is one of those people that all I have to do is look at her and see the mischievous twinkle in her eye, and before I know it, I am bursting my Mom jeans with giggles.

The thing I didn't tell you about my beloved friend, KTG, is the fact that she is fighting a disease called ALS, otherwise known as Lou Gehrig's disease.  I never mentioned it in past posts because frankly, ALS does not define the fearless woman that I am fortunate enough to call my dear friend.

I will never forget the phone call I received from KTG about eight years ago.  It was a few days before Christmas and she was letting me know that she arrived home from The Mayo Clinic.  She had been undergoing tests for the past year and waited months on Mayo's waiting list.  KTG was at last diagnosed.  Next came the much feared letters that carried so much weight:  A-L-S.  I did my best to be brave on the phone, but as always, she had me beat in that category.  The sadness hit me like a ton of bricks.  How could this happen to such a sweet, thoughtful person with a heart of gold?

So here I am eight years later, perusing Facebook and I see that KTG's niece posted a picture of none other than KTG receiving The Chicago Area ALS Courage Award.  Now, I talk to KTG at least once a week and do you think KTG would have divulged the fact that she was receiving such a prestigious award?  In typical KTG fashion, she humbly forgot to mention it.

So, dear KTG, congratulations on this incredible honor.   I must say, however,  that I feel that the word "courage" is an understatement when it comes to your bravery, determination, and infinite Irish wit.

I am proud to call you my friend.

xxoo,