My Mom and Judy Raley were miles apart when it came to political leanings. While Judy was very right wing and conservative, Mom was very left wing and a liberal Dem. Despite those differences however, they remained best of friends through the years as witnessed in this birthday card that Judy gave Mom:
My last conversation with Judy was a good one and also one that I learned a very valuable lesson from. It took place on 21 August 2018, my Mom’s birthday. I had swung by to wish Mom a good one and Judy was there preparing to take Mom out to lunch at Tommy’s to celebrate her birthday. Judy suggested “J. Scott why don’t you come join us?” I thanked her but begged off noting that I had a delivery coming to the Store and couldn’t do so. However, I countered “Let’s go one day next week. You get Michael to join us and we’ll do a Mother and oldest child luncheon.” Judy laughed and agreed to do so.
As I pulled out of the driveway and watched my Mom get in the car with Judy I said a little prayer of gratitude as I thought “Thank you God for Judy. She’s is still going strong and will do things like pick up Mom and take her out to lunch. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
Little did I know that that would be the last time Judy and my Mom would ever go to lunch together. A couple days later after she felt ill, Judy went to the Doctor, and ended up in the hospital where she learned that she had a rare and ultimately terminal disease. She passed on 24 October roughly 2 months after my Mom’s birthday and taking her to lunch.
As for the lesson that I learned that day from my last conversation with Judy: when someone invites you to do something with them – you do it.
John Lennon wrote this song in memory of his Mom who died in a car accident at 44 years of age.