Life can change so quickly

Our family hasn't been able to make the trip to Norris Lake to visit our cousins for the last several years, but my sister has gone.  She makes the trip the same time that the Massachusetts cousins make their trip down.  Those cousins always bring their best friends, and the year we were there was no exception.  Their oldest child is the same age as Thomas and then there is one a few years younger.  My sister has also gotten to know them on her visits.  This year while my sister was there, Steve, the father, collapsed while running.  His wife is a nurse who began CPR.  The ambulance arrived, he was able to be revived, and was going through lots of tests.  He remained in a hospital in Tennessee for a few days before being released, and then the family spent a little more time than originally planned at Norris Lake so he could rest.  They had been back in the Boston area about six weeks, and he was continuing to go through lots of tests and seek answers.  Nothing wrong could be found.  He had managed to get into the best heart hospital in the Boston area and was having a stress test performed on Tuesday.  In the middle of the test, in the middle of the hospital, surrounded by medical personnel and equipment, Steve dropped dead at the age of 42.  My sister called that evening to tell me the news.  I can't even imagine the pain his family is experiencing.  As I said to my sister, if someone is going to have a heart episode, the middle of the best hospital in Boston is about the best place to have it.  If he couldn't be saved there, it must have been his time.  My prayers go out to all of his family and friends.  It's such a reminder that life is not guaranteed and anything could happen at any time.