My mom's friend Diane...

Monday my mom's dear friend; Diane Birk, came all the way from Los Angeles to say a final goodbye to her.  She had already come to see her a few days ago and she was leaving for Seattle when she received my phone call.  She had to rent a car and drive back down.  She was so kind to offer to stay up with her so the family could sleep.  My Aunt Norma and her husband Gary and their daughter-in-law Ida and grandson Antonio arrived later that night.  My Aunt was distraught because she thought my mother had suffered a stroke.  She was just in a deeper sleep and could only say just a few words by this time. 

Diane and Judy at her suprise birthday party 3-13-2004

We got everyone settled in for the night and even though I should have slept, I just couldn't.  I sat up and talked with Diane, while we were chatting a huge bug crawled across my chest and I pulled my shirt and launched the bug into the air while saying loudly, a very bad word!  I immediately stomped on the bug and then laughed and apologized for my language.  It is quite funny to think about it even now.  Diane was so sweet she just shared a memory of when her daughter came home from preschool and shared a bad word with her.

Diane sent this to me in an email and this is shared with her permission.

"Hello family and friends,

I was able to visit with my dear friend, Judy Barnett, at the end of February when she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. I made another trip to California and was able to visit her on May 1st and 2nd. She was weak but was doing well. I was blessed to help her as she dictated a letter to me saying farewell to her family and friends.

On Monday got a call that Judy only had a short while to live. I quickly returned to Visalia and was privileged to stay up all night watching over her. On Tuesday I spent much of the day with her and her family. Before leaving that evening I was able to hold her carefully and pray over her. I reminded her to put in a good word for me with God -- we'd joked about it the previous week and told her that her family was okay and she could go home to God. Although Judy is blind - she opened her eyes and looked right at me. I know she heard me and knows how much I loved her. She passed away this morning at 2:30am.

Judy had a profound affect on my life. She was a simple and sweet lady. She babysat Arianna and Alyssa when they were little and loved them and considered them her girls even recently. After I moved to Seattle we talked often by phone and I always visited her when I was in Visalia to see my family. Judy was a sincere and loving Christian woman who loved God. Judy, her sister Ruthie, another friend, Sue, and I had a long-standing weekly Bible study. We prayed, laughed till our stomachs ached, cried and grew into "family"! You could share your darkest secrets with Judy and know it would go no further. She was a real prayer and lifted you up to God through her day -- she seemed to know when you needed prayer before you even told her. She raised birds - even after losing her eyesight -- just with a gentle touch she cared for the tiny birds without seeing them. She was deeply loved by so many -- everyone feeling they were kin, not just friends. What a blessing she was to so very many!

Oh what a special blessing Judy was in my life. I will miss her so much, but I'm happy for her as she is now where she most wanted to be -- the the arms of her saviour!!

Diane "