It really hit me June 29, 2011. I got the phone call from Freida telling me that Judy was back in the hospital – throwing up and had a bowel blockage. She said she was in Richland Hospital in Columbia and was not doing well at all. I cried…and cried. That night I did something I have not done in a very long time – I got on my knees and prayed - and cried some more.
Why does this have to happen to Judy? Why her? She’s so sweet - with 2 sons who still depend on her just to “be there”. So sweet – and would be the greatest grandmother EVER someday. So sweet - and her closest friends who have loved her since childhood and those of us newer friends, feel so helpless.
It’s our group’s nature to “do something” – anything – and do it frequently. But we can’t do anything physically for her so we do what is best for her and us…we pray and share our feelings with her and each other.
Judy and I were in high school together, one year apart. We knew each other but we were not friends. That changed in September 2009. My husband died September 3rd and I was really having a pity party and called Freida to meet me for lunch. “I’m having lunch with some girls we went to high school with; why don’t you join us”. I did - and that’s the way it’s been ever since. As it turned out, Judy’s husband, Richard, was in the same nursing home as my husband, only 1 wing apart, and they died a week apart. Surprisingly, our paths never crossed.
But let me digress a little (as Sophia Petrillo of the Golden Girls would say) and tell you about this arthritic, fribromyalgic, menopausal, shagging (that’s shagging – not sagging) group of women. We’ve just a bunch of crazy, fabulous women over 60 who love life and everything in it. This group is so crazy that we meet every Thursday, have lunch and catch up on what has happened since last Thursday, or at least since the Shag dance on a Saturday night.
Not only do we have lunch weekly, we also have what we call “Friend’s Night” that meets monthly at the Moose Lodge. It’s sorta’ like a pot lunch supper. Bring anything you want and hope it closely resembles a meal. We can count on Randy and Jan for the pizza (yuuuuummy!) and even Mike and Mary Ann honored us with SUUUPERRRBBB BBQ last month. It isn’t a fancy meal…just good food, great conversation, lots of laughter and, of course, a little wine.
Well, that’s how my life began to intertwine with Judy’s and her friendship has meant more to me that she can ever know. I am blessed to have her in my life and am so grateful for a friend like her.
Our group has many memories of really fun times we’ve had at that old Moose Lodge and other places that will remain nameless. And we will have many more. I just wanted to try to make it possible for this wonderful group of women, who love each other so much, who share our feelings and support each other, to have a site where we can come and share our feelings for that day, if we want to…and just tell Judy what we are thinking and feeling anytime we want to.
If you have come across this site and would like to leave comments for Judy or anyone else, please do so. This is all about friendship. Our lives have been a journey and this journey of memories will continue into the afterlife where, hopefully we can talk AND laugh over these memories. Please share your adoration for our friend Judy, and post your photos and memories. I have enabled this blog to allow each of you to post if you'd like. It's OK - many have said they don't have the gift of words that I do. Thanks for the kind words, but I don’t have it either. I just write what is in my heart. After all, human expression begins with words.
Love you all my friends, and thank you for all you do for each other. God Bless us all.
Love, Susan