Wake Up Call

Last week my young, athletic, 44 year old brother-in-law had a heart attack while walking through the Port Authority in New York City. He was leaving work and going to catch a bus to the Park in Ride in NJ to then drive home. We are extremely grateful that he was in the Port Authority and received assistance right way. There was a couple of police officers and the EMT's on the scene immediately. They worked on him there and then rushed him to Saint Vincent's Hospital.

The only way that my sister-in-law knew that something had happened,was when she tried calling him on his cell phone and he didn't answer. However, one of the nurses, while working on him, heard it ringing and called her back. She was then told that Dave was at the hospital because of a heart attack. (Talk about being freaked out).

You hear stories all the time of other people having situations like this happen to them, but when it happens to someone close to you, that you would never expect, it makes you stop and reflect on your life. Since then I have highlighted important contacts in my phone in red, and then next to my husbands name -- I wrote husband. And next to my sitters name I wrote sitter. This way if anything happened to me someone would know who the important people are to contact to let them know that I am currently out of commission!

Life is so fragile, as we know. Especially lately with all the celebrities that have passed away recently due to unexpected circumstances. (Michael Jackson, Ed McMahan, Steve McNair, Arturio Gotti, and although Farrah Fawcett's was inevitable it was still shocking and sad)

Sometimes I reflect on the wake up calls that we get in our lives and wonder what people do with that second chance that they are given? Do they make the changes necessary? Or do they fall into old patterns and soon find themselves facing the inevitable quicker than they should?

For me I am thankful every day for my family, my friends, and the wonders of life!