you just never know

Two weeks ago my mother in law died rather unexpectedly.  Two Sundays before her death we were laughing and playing 500 Rummy at our dining room table.  She has been in a skilled nursing facility since August 2010 and we've had several calls...."we're sending your mom to the ER".....it jolts you awake, you rush to the ER, she stablizes, stays in the hospital a day or two then is released back to the facility.  The calls kind of become an accepted routine not a critical situation.  Her health issues were not life threatening in an acute way but were such that they would cause her death down the road. The call 2 weeks ago was the same except after 2 days in CCU with pneumonia and a diagnosed heart attack....she had to make a decision.  She had discussed her life wishes with us many times. You just never believe it will ever come to that.....but it did.  She chose no further medical treatment and 7 days later she left us.