K is for Kathy -- Day 11 of the "A to Z Blogging Challenge"

I guess creativity is the most important thing in my life. I like to think it is a family trait. My sister Kathy was one of the most creative people I have ever known. I can sew, but she was a master seamstress. I can bake, but decorating a cake like she did is beyond me. She took creativity to the level of an art form, pun intended.
Kathy and I weren't close when I was young, mostly because I was much younger than her. In fact, because my oldest niece is only three years younger than I, I have always considered my nieces and nephews more like younger siblings and my sisters like aunts.
Fortunately, Kathy and I reconnected a few years ago. She had just gotten a diagnosis of breast cancer and, in her usual way of watching out over others, made a point of calling me to make sure I knew to get mammograms. It's amazing how much our interactions with each other changed as we got older. Although I had railed at my older sister's authority as a child she rapidly became my rock after we reconnected.
Kathy passed away a few years ago -- not from the cancer. She died trying to rescue an elderly man during a Texas Panhandle wilfdire. While her passing was a shock and still saddens us greatly, the actions that led up to her death did not surprise us. She died as she lived, giving of herself to someone else.
I still miss my big sister Kathy.