Book excerpt: 18 days. That's all we had from that first night when we heard the prognosis of the surgeon: "It's cancer. All throughout her abdomen." After more tests, we were told "3 to 6 months, if we're lucky." But Judy Gossett was not "lucky" this time - and we had 18 days with her before she breathed her last on December 11, 2003. While the shock and heavy sorrow have faded somewhat in these past 10 years, there still remains a surreal nature to life because Judy - she of the huge personality, the enormous heart, the generous spirit, the wonderful sister who was only one year my senior - is gone from this life forever. In addition to serving as a tribute to Judy, I pray this book will help people who deal with the grief of losing a beloved person - a sister, a brother, a father, a mother, a wife, a husband, a child, a friend - and understand that the Body of Jesus Christ is often "the fellowship of suffering" and is a safe place to find comfort and understanding, to find purpose and meaning.