A Tribute to GG

Those of you who know Terry's grandmother know her as "GG"...known to the rest of the world as Jean Desmond. ("GG", to the uninitiated, stands for "Great Grandmother"). She also went by "The Matriarch", as she held court over an extended family all over the world. This morning, around 4 AM, GG died peacefully. She was an incredible woman, an inspiration to everyone who met her, and lived a full life that most people would envy and could only wish they could have. She was a person who saw something she wanted to do, so she did it. Her last words of advice to me, which have been her motto for life, were "I didn't know it couldn't be done, so I did it!" (I was considering applying for a job which, on paper, I didn't have some of the important criteria they were looking for).

I have put together a video tribute with music for GG. The song choice is Eurythmics' "Miracle Of Love", a very moving song that 20 years ago was dedicated to me. When I was in the hospital, struggling for my life, my friends at the radio station (KUCI) dedicated a few hours of radio programming to me and called it the "Lar-a-thon". My radio partner, and one of my very best friends to this day, Marian, dedicated this song to me.

When I first met GG, her comment to Terry was "My only problem with him is he is ferociously independent!" GG met her doppelgänger in me, as we refer to GG (who lived alone in her apartment up until the last week of her 89 year old life) as "ferociously independent".

Marian must have known something about me back then, as Annie Lennox use the word "ferocious" in this song. How many songs can you name that use "ferocious"??When I decided to use this song, I hadn't read the lyrics yet, so I didn't even know it was in there.

GG NEVER played the pity card or the "help me i'm a senior citizen" role. Her can-do attitude was an inspiration for all, and will inspire generations. GG was a storyteller of Mark Twain proportions, and you can pick up a copy of her first book here at Amazon.

Visit here for the video tribute.

tribute

GG will live on in our hearts, our minds, our stories...and now on the internet!